


you wear your best apology, but i was there to watch you leave

by yahootoldyou



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Anakin Skywalker, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, M/M, Omega Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sith Anakin, Sith Qui-Gon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2018-11-12 07:13:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 48,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11156895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yahootoldyou/pseuds/yahootoldyou
Summary: “You don’t know how much I’vemissedyou, Obi-Wan,” the alpha says, his eyes glowing gold in the dark of the storage center. Obi-Wan shifts, body looking for an escape route, but he knows that Anakin will follow.The mark on his neck, scarred from years of misuse, throbs as they stand so close for the first time in forever. The problem with Anakin though, is that his eyes find it on the base of his throat immediately and they narrow, staring before slowly shifting up towards his face.“I’ve got an idea,” Obi-Wan whispers.OR: Obi-Wan fled the moment his mate and former master established their roles in the fall of democracy, but they're not ready to let him go.





	1. the last time I'm asking you this

The hallways in the warehouse are dark and the smell is rank, the impending doom casting the look and feel of gloom over the entire place. Obi-Wan sneaks around corner after corner, checking the hidden nooks and crannies. 

When he received a distress signal from the deserted moon, he had been wary of checking it out, but his nature won out in the end and his compassion landed him in an abandoned warehouse, looking for something. 

Only he doesn’t really _know_ what that something is. 

He keeps going, considering calling out for the person and somehow knowing that would be a very bad idea. His steps are slow and sure, the structure of the building old and capable of collapsing on him. 

His comm rings.

“Soka?” He answers, hearing the confident laugh on the other end. He had been heading home to her and his pups when he’d gotten the signal.

_“Obi! Where are you?”_ She asks and he smiles when he hears the gurgling of his babies on the other end. 

“Just checking up on something before heading home, how are the pups?” He asks and Ahsoka audibly hands which ever drooling child is in her arms to Padmé, a beta who lives with them. She used to be an important senator, but times and governments can change. 

_“Good! Leia said her first word yesterday,”_ she alerts him and he feels a sad pang at having missed it, _“It was no.”_ He laughs heartily, forgetting momentarily that he is supposed to be quiet. 

He quickly quiets when he hears a noise around the corner. 

“Hey ‘Soka? Any chance you and Padmé would drop the kids at Bail’s and come check this out with me? I’ll send you my location,” he says and she sighs on the other end. 

_“Sure Obi, whatever you need,”_ she responds and he blows her a kiss before hanging up, sticking the comm back on his belt as he stalks forward, deeper into the building. 

The night sky is dark and deep as he pauses, looking for the stars to center himself.

A scream sends him running in the direction it came from. 

“Hello?” He calls, turning a corner quickly and sprinting down the large corridor. 

He goes until he feels the hair stick up on his neck, the bond mark on his neck itching slightly. He stops, scrunching his shoulder up and scratching it lightly to see if it will go away as he walks on, but the itch only intensifies. 

_“Force,_ what is going on?” He grumbles, still scratching the bond mark. 

He doesn’t get an answer, but he pulls his comm off, immediately sending his location and an SOS to Ahsoka and Padmé.

_Obi-Wan, are you all right?_ It’s a message he takes his comm out to answer before its called from him, sucked into the waiting black glove clad hand. 

His eyes meet those of the other person and the air leaves his lungs. 

“Hello, _Love,”_ comes the very familiar voice he has tried to forget so many times. He should’ve known the itchy mark was a warning, one that was meant to tell him to run far far away and never return. 

_He should have known it was a trap._

“Anakin,” he breathes and his mate smiles widely, taking quick steps towards him. He scrambles backwards. 

“You don’t know how much I’ve _missed_ you, Obi-Wan,” the alpha says, his eyes glowing gold in the dark of the storage center. Obi-Wan shifts, body looking for an escape route, but he knows that Anakin will follow.

The mark on his neck, scarred from years of misuse, throbs as they stand so close for the first time in forever. The problem with Anakin though, is that his find it immediately and they narrow, staring before slowly shifting up towards his face.

“I’ve got an idea,” Obi-Wan whispers, eyes meeting those of the figure in the doorway. His breath stops for a moment, but he forces himself to stay standing.

“Hello, Master,” Anakin smirks, the gold in his eyes glowing almost yellow in the lighting. Obi-Wan feels his stomach lurch, feels the heaviness of the universe on his shoulders as he continues to force himself to breathe. Anakin doesn’t turn to face the man, only hooking a finger under Obi-Wan’s chin and forcing him to focus on Anakin. 

Obi-Wan wants to collapse and hyperventilate. He never thought it would come to this. 

“Anakin, be gentle with him,” Qui-Gon says and Obi-Wan doesn’t take his eyes off Anakin, but he does stiffen. 

_“Of course,”_ his mate purrs and Obi-Wan wrenches out of his grasp, lightsaber in his grasp before he can think about it fully, a hiss and a snarl on his lips. 

“Don’t _touch me, Vader,”_ he snarls and he ignites the blade, keeping it by his side as he backs away from the two Sith Lords. Anakin tilts his head, a rabid look in his eyes as he takes a step towards Obi-Wan again. Step by step, slowly cornering his prey against the wall. 

Qui-Gon stays blocking the exit, an amused tilt to his smile as Obi-Wan’s life falls apart around him.

“Tell me, Obi-Wan, who gave you those shields that have protected you from me all this time?” He leans down as he traps Obi-Wan, sniffing his neck and licking the old bond mark that resides there. Obi-Wan tries to shake him off with no luck, Anakin chuckling softly, deadly, against the juncture of neck and shoulder, his breath ghosting across the pale skin there. 

“I did,” he lies and Anakin clicks his tongue in disapproval. He leans back, eyes still focused on the mark as his fingers dance over it idly. 

“You know I know you’re lying to me. I can feel it right… _here,”_ he says a finger jabbing over where Obi-Wan’s heart is pounding absurdly, “You know your heart rate increases when you tell a lie.” His palm flattens on Obi-Wan’s chest, pinning him to the wall even more. Obi-Wan looks up at his mate with wide blue eyes, fear and anticipation swimming in them. 

“Was it Yoda? Did that meddling Old Troll keep you from me?” At this, Anakin’s eyes darken impossibly, but Obi-Wan looks away, afraid of what his eyes will tell if he continues to look directly at his alpha. Again a finger hooks under his chin, but it trails up, tangling into Obi-Wan’s locks and yanking backwards.

“Ah!” Obi-Wan cries, and Anakin leans into his space, yellow eyes gleaming with promised anger and action. 

“You should have come to me, Obi-Wan,” he hisses and Obi-Wan finally narrows his eyes.

“I assumed you wanted me dead like the rest of them,” he snarls in response and Anakin drops him like a rag doll, his body hitting the floor with a thud. Anakin bends down, grabs his collar and hoists him halfway up, his body in too vulnerable a position for any sort of backlash.

“You know I would never have killed you. _I loved you!”_ He shouts and Obi-Wan nearly bursts into tears at the use of the past tense, but he remains strong, even as his insides seem to be pulling him in opposite directions. 

“All I know is that you killed everyone I knew! _Everyone I loved!”_ He shouts and hears a chuckle from beyond the two of them.

“Clearly not everyone,” Qui-Gon laughs and Obi-Wan shudders at the unfamiliar sound it has to it, the cruelty. 

“I wish it were so,” he bites back and Qui-Gon’s amused eyes flit to meet his own.

“Oh, Imp, I know that’s not true,” Obi-Wan cringes at the laugh that follows. He knows it’s not true, but it would be better for the universe and Obi-Wan cant afford to be selfish about something like this. He bites back the sarcasm on his tongue, looking back up at Anakin.

The man leans in before hauling Obi-Wan back to his feet and grabbing his belt. Soon, he holds a bottle of pills in his hand. 

“Now that we’re together again, you won’t be needing these,” he sticks the bottle of Obi-Wan’s suppressants on his belt, away from where Obi-Wan can easily grab them. Obi-Wan feels his breath grow shallow but he forces himself to remain calm. His anxiety only grows as Anakin wraps an arm around his shoulders, leading him to a chair where he deposits him, using some spare rope to tie him up in the warehouse. Obi-Wan was fool for coming here, he should’ve known it was a trap.

_“Anakin,”_ Qui-Gon chastises and Anakin stiffens, his chest puffing out in a display of ridiculous pride. 

“This isn’t something you have any say in, My Master,” his mate growls and Qui-Gon nods, raising his hands in surrender and returning to guard the door. Obi-Wan almost wishes he could reach out for the man, but even if Anakin wasn’t pinning his arms down, he doesn’t think he would’ve. Qui-Gon burnt the bridge between them ages ago, there isn’t any love or trust along the old bond they share. 

Qui-Gon sends a pang of remorse his way, but it bounces off well-built shields. They aren’t his own, but they’re working and he needs them. They’re keeping him from Anakin.

He breathes, just breathes, and prays to the force that someone out there on his side.

“I’ve got you now, Baby, no one will ever take you from me again,” Anakin says from somewhere behind him, his breath once again drafting along his neck. Obi-Wan stiffens. 

“Don’t know if I’d say that quite yet, Vader,” Ahsoka snarks, Qui-Gon pressed against the wall with the force. Satine and Padmé follow her in, cuffing the man and turning their attention to Ahsoka and the couple. 

Anakin pulls Obi-Wan to his side brutally, his hands like vices around Obi-Wan’s biceps.

_“You will not take him from me!”_ Obi-Wan looks at Ahsoka in a panic, but the woman just smiles languidly.

“Oh Skyguy, the only person who took your lovely mate from you was _yourself_ in your anger and your lust for power. It’s not my fault Obi-Wan prefers a… less _volatile_ alpha.” The implication has even Obi-Wan’s hackles raised, but it’s nothing compared to the trembling anger of Anakin. 

The snarl that rips its way from Anakin’s throat is truly frightening, but Qui-Gon tosses him into the air using the force, yanking him to his side by the door. His shackles lay on the ground by where he’s standing and he still views the entire situation with the same amused tilt to his mouth. 

“Well, it seems our time here has come to an end. Obi-Wan,” he bows his head, gold eyes glinting in the darkness of the warehouse, “Ladies.” The spin of his cloak as he turns on his heal is impressive, a startling contrast to the flailing mess Anakin is.

_“Obi-Wan!”_ He hears Anakin call, his instincts telling him to run after him and love him no matter what.

_“Ana-“_ A gloved hand clamps over his mouth, Ahsoka’s arms wrapping around his waist to keep him from doing anything stupid. The urge to follow his mate is strong, the shields being the only thing keeping him from Anakin. 

He watches the ship fly away from a window and ignores the pain in his chest as he is without his mate once again. 

_I love you, Ani, but I couldn’t save you._


	2. all roads they lead me here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan and Anakin deal with the fall out of their interaction

Anakin swings as soon as the ship has left the atmosphere, cracking his fist against the side of Qui-Gon’s skull who snarls as he falls back. 

_“How dare you?”_ He demands, closing in on his master, who just throws up his hands as he walks to the comfy chair in the corner, ignoring Anakin’s question pointedly. 

“Don’t walk away from me,” Anakin growls, following his master who just shrugs indifferently, using the force to keep Anakin at bay. Anakin snarls, shoving all of his wait against the block that just _won’t go-_

He falls to the ground in a crash as Qui-Gon looks on with the same amused face he was using on Obi-Wan.

“Wipe that lop-sided grin off of your face before I cut it off,” he grounds out between clenched teeth, lightsaber hilt in hand. Qui-Gon sighs dramatically, leaning backwards in his chair and languidly tossing an arm over his face, palm extended towards the ceiling of their ship. 

“Oh, what ever will I do without my handsome features?” He gasps, more than likely to mock Anakin who still stands with the hilt in his hand, thumb longingly running over the ignition. His lip is still pulled back in a snarl, his eyes blazing gold, but Qui-Gon is the picture of serenity as always.

Which is characteristically _odd_ for a Sith, and only serves to make Anakin rip his head off _more._

Anakin stands like that for a while, his instincts telling him to attack the man who took him from his mate when he had been so close to finally having Obi-Wan back in his grasp. He rushes Qui-Gon, hilt tossed to the side and tackles him, but Qui-Gon unleashes force lightning on him, sending him flying backwards and colliding with the wall. 

“Anakin, put your cock away for a moment and think with your brain. Do you _really think_ with all of those warrior women you were leaving with Obi-Wan in your hands?” He’s still sitting in the chair, eyes glinting a faint yellow, dim in the light of the ship’s cockpit. 

“We could have i-if we took them on _together!”_ Anakin is stammering, trying to maintain the level of rage that he’s been surfing, but it’s deteriorating as the logic begins to make sense. 

“Ahsoka could have taken us both on and you know it,” he says before lifting a long finger to tap against his chin, “At least… Long enough for the other two to get him out of there. You know this Anakin, you trained her to be a Jedi,” he says, rolling his eyes at Anakin and his stupid pride. 

“You’re right,” Anakin finally stumbles over to a chair and drops into it, still slightly shaking from the adrenalin in his system. 

“He was so close, Master, I could finally feel his heartbeat under the pads of my fingers and in my ear drums. I could smell the sweet scent of lilacs and fresh cotton from his skin, the combination of his body soap from home and his natural scent…” He trails off, willing the ache in his chest to lessen. 

He had made the choice that cost him his mate, but the alpha part of him demanded that Obi-Wan be obedient and the Sith part told him to capture and keep and love and _fuck_ -he cuts the thoughts short, knowing if he goes too far with those he will have a very uncomfortable situation he can’t handle in front of Qui-Gon. 

“Anakin, we can get him to ourselves and then we’ll have no issues subduing him. Besides,” the man starts with a sneaky grin thrown his apprentice’s way, “You have something very important to him in your belt.” Anakin scrambles quickly, taking the pill bottle out with all of Obi-Wan’s suppressants in it. The bottle is nearly full, which means whoever Obi-Wan gets them from won’t refill for another six months or so by law according to the Empire. 

He and Qui-Gon meet gazes. both smirking. 

“Do you know what this means?” He asks and Qui-Gon just laughs, reaching over to pat Anakin on the back in congratulations. 

“It means we’ll have your mate back soon, My Boy.” Anakin allows a genuine grin to grow across his face, the idea of having Obi-Wan in his arms, his grasp, _his bed…_ The idea is the most euphoria inducing thing he’s felt since he and Obi-Wan mated for the first time years ago.

“But, Anakin, you must remain focused on our goal, or your dream life with your lovely Obi-Wan will never come to be,” he says and Anakin is on the defensive again, even if he knows that Qui-Gon is right. In order for Anakin to place himself and his mate on a throne, he has to kill the men in their way and that means being focused on something other than the distance between him and Obi-Wan. 

It means ignoring the empty hole in the back of his head that is so silent that it nearly drives him crazy because of those damn shields.

If he ever sees Yoda again, he’s killing him on sight no hesitation. 

“I know. You’re right, Master,” He admits and Qui-Gon slips his fingers into the loose curls on top of Anakin’s head, easing the tension of the boy’s body. The action is something Obi-Wan used to do every night to lure Anakin into a deep sleep, one that would allow him to actually rest the way he needs. 

Qui-Gon’s fingers are not Obi-Wan’s and the beat of his heart doesn’t soothe Anakin’s own, but the action warms a part of him that is almost always cold these days, so he never turns Qui-Gon down. He relaxes and allows himself to picture a future where he rules the galaxy with Obi-Wan next to him, pregnant with his pups and his eyes as yellow and wicked as Anakin’s own. 

 

 

“Honey Bunches,” he calls out to the babies laying on the ground in the living area, “Daddy’s home!” The babies gurgle and giggle happily, extending their chubby arms his way. He picks a twin up and settles her in the crook of one arm so he can bend down and pick up her brother. 

“Hello, Leia,” he coos, planting a slobbery kiss on her cheek before turning to her brother and giving him the same treatment. Bail stands in the doorway to his living room with a pleasant grin on his face. 

“Hello, My Old Friend,” he greets, smiling with mirth in his eyes as Bail mocks offense.

“Hey, Obi, I’m not that old yet, you and I are just five years apart,” he jokes and Obi-Wan laughs. Obi-Wan is still shaken up from his encounter with Anakin, but having his children back with him makes it ten times better. 

“Mhm,” he hums, a triumphant smile on his face, “Thanks again for watching them for me.” Bail quirks an eyebrow, letting Obi-Wan know that he knows something is up. 

“No problem, but I guess I just can’t see why all of your women took off after you if it was _just_ an exploration,” he says, eyes boring into Obi-Wan’s. He shifts back and forth on his feet, his children still babbling on happily, unaware of the tension that is suddenly flooding the room in response to Bail’s press for information. 

“I may have run into an old friend and needed back up,” he mumbles and Bail looks at him in horror. 

_“Maul?”_ Obi-Wan buries his head in the fluff of his daughter’s head. He _wishes_ it were Maul, that would be much easier for him to deal with that the actual reality. He shakes his head even as he hears another person enter the room.

“Not Maul? Then-“ 

_“Anakin._ It was Anakin,” Ahsoka says, Bail’s eyes going wide as he looks back and forth between Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan moves gently, carefully carrying his kids back over to their floor beds and laying them down. The two are still staring at him when he unbends, straightening up and walking out of the room into the kitchen thats nearby and close enough were he can hear the twins if they need his help.

“It was,” he confirms for Bail, but he turns to the window over looking the mountains of Alderaan, not facing his friends. They don’t say anything, waiting for him to explain on his own time and for that he is immensely grateful.

It is a few minutes more before he can bring himself to recount the events of the last hour and a half and how he feels about them. 

“It was a trap, I assume. They wanted to get me alone so they could capture me,” he hiccups, a tear spilling over onto his skin. He remembers the way the scent of Anakin had hit him, how it had healed parts of him immediately only for the wounds to reopen when they had been separated. His shields are groaning, shifting and twisting in his head, even now as he has this conversation. 

“He cornered me and overwhelmed the most instinctual part of me, the part that still wants to run to him and beg for forgiveness… I was so disgusted and afraid, but I wanted him to take me anyway. In the moment, I wanted to go with him and be safe in his arms like I always was before,” he hangs his head, bringing his palms up to scrub at his face. Ahsoka comes up behind him, wrapping her arms around his midsection and soothing him through the force, something she usually only does when he has bad nightmares back home in their little hut in the snowy woods of Alderaan. 

“What did he do to you?” Bail asks, moving slightly closer to the emotional omega. He visually assesses his friend for any harm, but he can’t see anything immediate on the man’s pale skin. 

“He just wanted me, he wanted me to go with him and join his cause. Even if he knows deep down that I wont.” He fingers at his belt, at the place where his suppressants used to reside. He casts a longing look over his shoulder to where his twins lay on the carpet, hands somehow finding each others and connecting loosely. The force hums with absolute light around them, but he knows he’ll have to leave them again soon.

Now, even. 

_The thought sends agony running down his spine._

“He took my suppressants,” he mumbles, looking back out the window, but he feels Ahsoka tense at his back and can hear the tiny gasp Bail breathes in. He knows its bad, knows that the situation is critical if he goes too long without them. 

_He’ll go into heat._

He’ll go into heat and the shields that Yoda has built for him will crumble from his need to be with his alpha. With Anakin; the Sith Lord. He could get pregnant again, he could be raped by an alpha who considers him up for grabs if his mate isn’t here to protect him. 

He feels exposed and vulnerable and it’s Anakin’s fault, but even now he half hopes Anakin will come and sweep him up, will lead him back to their nest where they can happily raise their twins. 

But that future is no longer a possibility for them, his mate ripping it to shreds in exchange for a power Obi-Wan never asked for and certainly doesn’t want. 

He just wants _love._

_“What?”_ Ahsoka breathes and he nods, untangling her arms from around him and moving away. He can’t trust that an alpha scent wont set the heat off and he will spend it by himself if he can’t have Anakin, but he wants to hold it off as long as possible. He will lock himself in a room and get through it on his own when it happens. 

The reality he has to deal with now is; he has breaking shields and a bond reestablishing itself with a mate he loves but can no longer be with and he has two twins that need him more than he’s making time for. And to top it all off, he has a ticking time bomb about to go off at the drop of a hat. 

He lowers his head in shame, even as he knows what he’s going to do. 

“I have to go see Yoda.”

“Obi-Wan-“

_“Alone.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! Please let me know what you think of the story in the comments and I hope you enjoy this new work of mine! 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and come chat with me on tumblr: [intergalacticfuckup](https://intergalacticfuckup.tumblr.com)


	3. i find myself at your door

“Thank you for _finally_ joining us, Gentlemen,” Sidious says from behind his throne, the ornate chair still facing the skyline of Coruscant. Anakin nearly scoffs, but the prod along his bond with Qui-Gon suggests he keep quiet and listen. If he wants a future with his mate he needs Sidious’s help, of that he is almost certain. Dooku is sprawled languidly in his lap and if it had been the first time Anakin had seen it, he would’ve vomited right there, but alas, it wasn’t the first time and a sick feeling in him says it probably isn’t the last. 

“Evening, Masters,” Qui-Gon greets, moving into the large room to deposit himself in a kneeling position on the floor in front of the mated couple. Anakin nods in greeting, kneeling stiffly in the same position as Qui-Gon. He hears an amused chuckle from above and nearly throws himself at the throne, but he holds in his anger and reaction, not wanting to spoil everything already. 

“Masters,” Anakin grumbles when Qui-Gon elbows him with the force. He looks up to see Sidious smirking, a disgusting hole in his wrinkly, ashy face, his non-existent lips pulling away to expose rotting teeth. 

“Oh, Lord Vader, you are my _favorite_ source of entertainment,” Sidious cackles, “I heard about your silly attempt at getting your Jedi mate to return to you.” Anakin swallows the urge to deck Qui-Gon again, staying in the stiff kneeling position. The man had obviously reported the incident to their superiors and even though Anakin understands, it sends the shivers of betrayal and anger down his spine. 

“I’m glad I _amuse_ you, Master,” he nearly snarls, but his face stays settled, the unemotional front he always shows in front of Tyranus and Sidious. The lipless smirk widens and Anakin can feel the challenge in the air, the way his Master baits him forward with taunts.

_Come and get me, Chosen One,_ he mocks in his demeanor, knowing Anakin can’t-

Knowing Anakin _won’t._

“My Mate here says Obi-Wan won’t return to you, this you know,” Sidious says, easing said mate out of his lap and into a standing position before he himself stands, making his way down to wear Vader kneels. 

_You can never just be silent, can you Ani?_ Qui-Gon sighs across the bond and again Anakin resists the urge to react. Long, scaly dry fingers wrap themselves in his curls and he feels bile creep up in his throat, a threat to expose him. To expose how he really feels for his Master. 

“I know what Tyranus says and I appreciate the advice,” he says slowly, trying to maintain his calm demeanor, but it gets harder and harder the more time goes on. 

“Hmm…” He says, completing the predatory circle he had been leisurely strolling through around Anakin and walking back to take his seat at the throne. 

As he does so, Dooku drapes over him again, a low, content purr radiating from his chest. It’s not envy so much as pure disgust in Anakin’s chest.

The sight of them is the most nasty thing he’s ever encountered and he was there when Obi-Wan fell into the nest of gundarks. 

The thought of Obi-Wan sends longing to his heart, squeezing his heart in his deep sadness. 

The Sith Lord is merciful to his apprentice when he changes the subject to the battle station they have been building deep in the Outer Rim. 

“Qui-Gon, how are things progressing with the new station?” Dooku asks, smiling warmly at his former apprentice. Anakin again almost wants to roll his eyes, but he refrains. It isn’t a secret that Dooku has always loved Obi-Wan and hated Anakin. He blames Anakin for not being able to sway Obi-Wan to the dark, while he celebrates Obi-Wan’s strength for being able to resist his alpha. 

_Its safe to say they don’t get along very well._

“Things are progressing well… Director Krennic has become a bit too thirsty for command and power, but Lord Vader handled him well when he visited him on Mustafar,” Qui-Gon reports, sending only pride Anakin’s way through the bond. Anakin appreciates the effort, but Sidious will no doubt find fault with his actions regardless, the way he always does.

To his surprise, Sidious just nods, his smirk remaining in tact. 

“Lord Vader,” he addresses the younger man directly, another surprise, “Due to your hard work and success on your solo missions, when the station is complete you may hunt your mate until you capture him.” The air floods out of his lungs, he stands shocked in front of the man.

Dooku sneers even as Anakin smiles widely. 

_“Thank you,_ Master,” he says sincerely and Sidious wraps those long thin fingers in his own mate’s hair, yanking back rather roughly. The sneer leaves Dooku's lips and Anakin smirks in response. 

“The station should be done in the next month and a half, Master, and when it’s complete, no one will dare think to stand against the Empire again. Not even the remaining Jedi in the galaxy,” Qui-Gon finishes and Sidious just relaxes in his throne, spinning around to face the skyline again. 

They hear Dooku take in a sharp breath and release a low moan before Sidious grants them permission to leave. 

_“Dismissed,”_ he says and Qui-Gon and Anakin make a hasty retreat, not needing to know any more of what was going on behind that chair. 

“For all of your disrespect, you _are_ his favorite,” Qui-Gon says and Anakin just smirks. 

“Must be my good looks.” They laugh as they leave, ready to finish the plan so that Anakin can get Obi-Wan back. 

 

 

 

“Welcome you, I do, to Dagobah, Young Obi-Wan,” Yoda greets as Obi-Wan jumps from his ship into the mud of the swamp planet. The area is the same it was the first time Obi-Wan followed him here to protect himself, but now there is a heaviness to the air, a foreboding sense of incoming pain. 

“Hello again, Master-“ he stops, smiling down at the old creature, “Old Friend.” Yoda smiles up at him and hobbles away towards his hut, gesturing for Obi-Wan to follow him in. 

“The problem, what seems to be?” He asks Obi-Wan while he stirs a disgusting looking pot of… _stew?_ Obi-Wan isn’t quite sure what’s in the small pot and he certainly doesn’t want to eat it. 

“I had a run in with Anakin,” he says and the stick Yoda had been stirring with previously clanks against the pot. He turns slowly to look at Obi-Wan, eyes that are far too wise looking over him from head to toe, searching for any physical marks. His small eyes stay fixed on the scarred bond mark on his neck and Obi-Wan resists the urge to cover it up. 

“Hurt you, did he?” Obi-Wan avoids the Master’s eyes, but Yoda hits him in the shin with his gimer stick before moving it upwards, gently forcing Obi-Wan’s head up so they can make eye contact. Obi-Wan blinks the tears back before he answers. 

“He took my suppressants, Master,” he admits and Yoda sighs, shaking his head. Obi-Wan feels the urge to fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness, even if there isn’t anything to really apologize for. Yoda hums before he brings the knight into his arms, Obi-Wan obviously not fitting into them, but the embrace soothes some of the shake he’s developed from the adrenaline. 

“Okay, it will be, Obi-Wan. Believe in that, you should, believe in that, _you must,_ ” he says and Obi-Wan knows he’s comforting at this point, a new thing for Yoda, so he accepts what he gets from the old creature. 

“Please help me, Master, I _need_ the shields again. I can feel them slipping and the more they do the more and more I can feel my control slipping away.” Yoda hums again, sadly, and he is no longer meeting Obi-Wan’s eyes as they sit in his small hut. 

“A thing, that is, which done, can only be once,” Obi-Wan shudders, the reality of the situation crashing down on him. 

_Yoda can’t fix him._

“So that’s it then? Come next month standard, I’m his?” He asks, the bewilderment audible in the shakiness of his voice. Yoda grumbles, his age suddenly seeming to weigh him down. His shoulders are slouched, his face defeated. It is an expression he has never seen on the face of the old Jedi Master. 

“Master, please, there _has_ to be something else we can do,” he begs, not any amount above it any longer. The begging is shameful yes, but he cannot bare to put his babies in danger. The idea of Anakin finding them brings him unfathomable pain and in the long run, he has to protect them above all, no matter what it means for him or his wellbeing. 

“Afraid, I am, Young Obi-Wan, that help you, I cannot,” Yoda says as he stands, hobbling over to a small chest in the corner. Obi-Wan watches as the old creature grunts, using his much weaker arms to open up the chest. 

“But, give you this, I can. Strength in it, you may find, if deep enough in yourself, you search.” In his hand, is the old blade Anakin used in the war. 

_“Master…_ Where in the galaxy did you find it?” The Master grunts, wobbling back over to Obi-Wan and holding out the saber. 

Obi-Wan looks at it with weary eyes and his fingers reach toward his belt. 

But in the place where his saber should be is empty.

His surprise must be visual because Yoda’s eyes fix on where his hand grasps the clasp where his saber used to reside.

_His lightsaber… How didn’t he notice that Anakin had his lightsaber?_ A pang rings deep in his hollow chest where his heart used to reside and he suddenly feels as though he’s missing. 

Until he feels a nudge to his hip. In his panic, he hadn’t noticed Yoda was still holding out the hilt to him. 

“Take it now, _you must_ , Obi-Wan. Need it now more than ever, you do,” Obi-Wan nods, taking the familiar hilt in his hand. The strength from the blade is residual, left over from a man who discarded it when he abandoned his morality, but the blade hums for him. 

_Remembers him._

Remembers the love he shared with it’s previous owner.

And Obi-Wan may never admit it, but a part of him heals with the blade in his hand, the residual energy from Anakin healing a part of Obi-Wan that had been empty before. 

_Master Yoda had been right, the blade was giving him strength._

And hope relights in Obi-Wan like the floor had been flooded with fuel and lit up. 

 

 

 

Far across the stars, in his room on Coruscant, Anakin fiddles with the hilt of a lightsaber that remembers him too. The crystal within is strong, fierce and fiery. Sturdy and calm in its vivacious strength. 

Everything his mate is. 

Everything that never made sense about him as well. 

He smiles underneath the neon lights, the saber having fixed part of what was wrong with him. It strengthens his resolve to find Obi-Wan, who, at the moment, remains far out of his reach in a system he probably has searched already, with people that aren’t Anakin. Anakin knows Obi-Wan is still running, but he knows his mate is just misguided, has been filled to the brim with lies from an old troll and a traitorous former apprentice. Maybe even a woman who was almost Anakin’s girlfriend once upon a time. 

No matter, the hilt in his hand reminds him that they are meant for each other. That they were the happiest once. 

That they _will be_ again.

_No one_ will stand in his way.

_Not even Obi-Wan himself._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this update took a while! I graduated high school recently and have been super busy, but I hope you enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think of it in the comments and as always, 
> 
> thank you for reading! 
> 
> S


	4. in your room, all alone

Obi-Wan fiddles with the lightsaber on his hip as he hops out of his fighter, making his way up the path to their hillside cottage. It’s heavily shielded in the force, supported by both himself and Ahsoka to keep them all safe.

A shriek of “Daddy!” has him moving just a bit faster, scooping up Leia and heading into the home. The lights are warm in the living area, holopics all over the wall and toys scattered across the floor. 

_“Oh!_ Oh, Obi-Wan, Dear One, you scared me!” Satine giggles, a squirming Luke in her hands. 

“Hello, Satine. How are the little ones today?” He asks, placing Leia on the ground who plops near her dolls. Satine allows Luke to catapult from her arms, scuttling over to sit near his sister who swats him away. 

“They’re very cute! And also, very grumpy! I think they missed their father,” she says as she stands, going over to plop down on the couch. She had been Obi-Wan’s first love back when they were teenagers, but alas, omegas were not meant to be together and their tempers, though they make a formidable team, were not meant to be romantic together. 

Still, when the Duchess had lost her throne to the Death Watch and the Sith, Obi-Wan rescued her. They're best friends now and forever and he needs her. 

“Ah yes, well of course I missed them too. Dagobah smells worse than dirty diapers,” he laughs as Satine wrinkles her nose. A commotion can be heard in the kitchen, pots and pans banging together before Padmé makes a mad dash into the room followed by Ahsoka covered from head to toe in Nabooian Flower. 

Ahsoka huffs. 

“Look who the lothcat dragged in!” She says as she rushes over to hug Obi-Wan spreading the flower with a mischievous smile. He giggles as he just moves forward going to sit. 

As much as he needs this, this joking around and the family time, the conversation they’re about to have can’t wait. 

Their safety is suddenly very at risk and they can’t ignore it. 

_He_ can’t ignore it. 

The look on his face must tell them everything they need to know, because there are three women instantly very close to him, leaning in and offering tactile comfort he doesn’t quite want but can’t help but give in to. He bites his lip and shifts a bit in his seat. 

“Yoda didn’t have any good news?” Ahsoka asks, voice very close to his left ear and Obi-Wan shakes his head no. 

“No, but uh, he did give me this. Maybe you should keep it,” he mumbles and moves a bit, lifting his hip so Ahsoka can snag the saber dangling there. 

“Is this…?” She says and Padmé squeals. 

_“That’s Anakin’s lightsaber!”_ She shrieks and Satine rolls her eyes, standing and going over to a trunk, pulling out a saber of her own. A black blade ignites in her hand and Padmé’s jaw hits the floor. 

“What is tha-?”

_“That_ is a long story we don’t have time for!” Obi-Wan yells, finally pushing himself off of the couch and pacing around the room. 

Satine pouts as she places the saber back in the trunk. Obi-Wan is still pacing when a hand pulls him to a stop, clipping Anakin’s blade back to his hip. 

“I don’t want that,” he says trying to move Ahsoka’s had away put she stays stubborn, her arm a sudden immovable force. 

“That saber is as much yours as it was ever his, Obi. It’s _yours,”_ and her voice is so sincere, his shields pulled so thin, and he can't…

He _can’t-_

Ahsoka covers her ears as the force blows out around them, a low growl emitting from her chest as Obi-Wan screams. Padmé and Satine cover their ears, but the fact that they aren’t force sensitive must shield them from the most of it because they don’t keel over the way Ahsoka is. 

_And the twins-_

A loud screech fills the room just as it falls silent, both kids falling into helpless cries. 

Obi-Wan’s already stretched thin and the babies crying just pulls against his psyche. He sits on the ground and brings his knees to his chest. 

He doesn’t protest when Ahsoka picks him up and carries him up the stairs, Padmé and Satine trying to calm the children down. She pulls the covers back on his bed, settling him in and making sure all the lights are down. His breathing is still heavy and erratic, but the familiar smell and comfort of his sheets are helping. 

Ahsoka pulls the other side of the covers down and climbs in, wrapping Obi-Wan in her arms and holding him there. 

He buries his head in her neck and lets himself drift off to sleep, trying to ignore the parts of him reaching for Anakin more and more as his shields deteriorate. 

_“Shh, shh, Obi-Wan. It’ll be okay, we’ll figure it out. He won’t find us, I promise,”_ she promises many things into his ear softly and he’s thankful, but he isn’t really listening. 

He just lets her lull him off to sleep with the words and the smell of fresh Nabooian Flower. 

 

 

 

Anakin shouts as he collapses, his head practically screaming. Qui-Gon stands over him sweating and scowling, his red blade still hanging at his side. 

“Anakin, you can’t just do that, I could’ve chopped your head off!” Anakin groans, reaching a hand up and curling up on the ground, surrendering to his Master for the time being. 

His breathing is erratic and he feels his heart pounding in his chest. 

“What’s- _What’s happening?”_ He grumbles, trying to sit up, but his head pounds and he lays back down. 

“My guess would be your mate just had a psychic overload,” Qui-Gon mumbles as he lowers into a meditative stance, his legs curled underneath him and his eyes slipping closed. 

“You’re going to _meditate_ while I’m like _this?”_ He’s growling, the sound deep and dangerous and Qui-Gon smirks, not bothering to open his eyes. 

“I’m going to sit here with you, you ungrateful imp, you can’t exactly go anywhere like this,” he says and reaches out, knocking Anakin on the head which causes a new wave of pain. Anakin winces and lets his own eyes close, willing the headache to go away. 

One point in the back of his head is screaming, a bright spot of pain and agony. He knows the spot well, has felt for it many times before only to find it alive with joy and love.

Hasn’t really felt it at all recently. 

It’s been a quiet haunting memory there in the back of his head, one that he has longed for day after day since the fall of democracy. 

_And now he has it._

He has it back and it’s causing him pain so immense he’s not sure he’s ever felt anything like it. 

They stay on the floor like that for a while, Qui-Gon meditating and Anakin trying to breathe normally as he waits for the pain to subside. He thinks about Obi-Wan, about the way he had looked in that warehouse.

His hair was still coppery, red glinting in almost any form of light and his eyes were still a stunning blue. His features were softer with age and he had laughter lines up near his eyes, a sign his time was not spent in agony, wondering where Anakin was at every waking second. 

_The way Anakin wonders about him._

That’s not nearly fair at all. 

Finally, the head pain eases and he sits up, rubbing the spot near his neck where it hurt the most. He feels out for Obi-Wan and he’s there…

Barely, faintly, but his signature is as familiar as the back of Anakin’s flesh hand and the gears in his mechanical one. It’s warm and golden. A gold like the sand on Tatooine, pale and beautiful, one so unlike the angry gold of his eyes. 

He flinches before he reigns it in. The dark is his home now, his one place where he can thrive and not disappoint those around him. 

Besides, he feels Obi-Wan now. In a way he hasn’t since Yoda placed those shields up and hid him away. Anakin feels guilty about the suppressants, he knows Obi-Wan needs them to avoid going into heat, but he _needs_ Obi-Wan. He needs the love of his life, of his existence, the substance of his very soul. 

Without Obi-Wan, he is _empty._

But now he feels the corner of his mind light up with the warmth of his soulmate and he knows that it isn’t long until Obi-Wan’s shields disappear and Anakin can track him down. 

He notices his fingers tapping on the ground and he knows he’s anxious for the day where he and Obi-Wan are together again. He will prove that they can be happy together in this new world if it’s the last thing he ever does. 

“Did your headache leave you?” Qui-Gon asks, amber eyes opening and looking directly at Anakin. 

“Quite suddenly… I think it _was_ Obi-Wan though,” Anakin mumbles, scratching the bond mark in the crook where his neck meets his shoulder. Qui-Gon quirks an eyebrow, silently urging Anakin into responding. 

“I can feel him in the back of my mind now. Faintly, but its there and it’s giving all the wrong kinds of hope.” Qui-Gon laughs, loud in the silence of their sparring arena and Anakin scowls. 

“Anakin, that’s fantastic! Everything is going according to plan,” Qui-Gon smiles as he stands, a tug of his lips that doesn’t quite expose any teeth. Anakin scrambles to his feet, feeling a dull ache in his skull from all of the mental strain of the last couple of minutes. 

“When were his heats when you two were actively together?” Qui-Gon asks, bringing a hand up to stroke his beard as they walk out towards where their individual quarters are. 

“They were usually every sixth months… The Jedi had him on a form a suppressants that have been outlawed due to the decrease in reproduction during the birth of the Empire that permitted him to have heats every sixth months on a schedule so we could take time off. The only suppressants legal now are the ones that get rid of heats all together, but even then omegas can only get them every sixth months-“

“Anakin, I know the Empire’s rules on suppressants. I was asking when Obi-Wan used to have his cycles, but it’s irrelevant regardless. The suppressants he’s been on will have altered it,” Qui-Gon hums, walking even as Anakin stops near his door. 

“He’s been off suppressants for almost two weeks which means he has about one week until his heat hits and his shields go,” Anakin says and Qui-Gon slides his calculating eyes over to his apprentice. 

“You already have all of this figured out don’t you?” Anakin smiles as he enters his quarters and shuts the door behind him, closing Qui-Gon out. He appreciates the man’s help, but he doesn’t need it. Not for this. 

For Obi-Wan, Anakin has the ability to think ahead, to plan. 

He sleeps well that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think about the story so far!! thank you for reading!


	5. right before your eyes, i'm breaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the shields fall

Yoda sits on Dagobah, his root stew steaming next to him and he contemplates the force. It’s not like there are any more younglings to fill his days with, not since a particular Skywalker turned to the dark side. 

The air is thick and warm outside, the swamp humid almost always, and for a moment, Yoda allows himself to go against the code. He misses the crisp, artificial, polluted air of Coruscant and teaching the younglings katas out in the gardens when the weather was particularly nice. 

He misses the way Mace used to roll his eyes at Yoda’s antics and the way that Obi-Wan would come over for afternoon tea when they were on planet at the same time. 

He misses watching younglings experience things for the first time. He remembers the first time Young Skywalker felt rain fondly, dragging Obi-Wan out into the water with him, shrieking with joy and excitement. Anakin had always loved the rain, a rarity on Tatooine where he was raised. 

Now, Yoda misses the Order like he’d lost a limb, the force becoming more and more foreign to him as time goes on. 

His end is coming and it’s coming _soon…_

He only hopes he can help Obi-Wan more before it ends his life and presence in the physical galaxy. 

He releases his emotions into the force, knowing how un-Jedi like they really are. 

A Jedi is at peace with the way things are in the galaxy, focusing on the peace and balance of the force. 

Yoda wonders after a long life of over nine hundred years when he began believing in vengeance as well.

It _saddens_ him.

He attempts to slip into a meditative trance when the galaxy explodes with light behind his eyelids. 

He doesn’t know if he’s screaming or falling, but he feels the pain and the ache through the air as if it is happening to him himself. The air is suddenly hot, his body on fire with a need he has never felt before. 

As he passes out from the force of it, he realizes what it is. 

Or rather _who…_

And fights off the sensation as long as he can. 

 

 

 

Anakin smirks as Dooku, Qui-Gon, and Sidious all stiffen as the force ignites in light it hasn’t seen since before Order 66. Sidious hisses, his hands grabbing his mate harsher than usual as the light burns him. 

Qui-Gon slowly turns to look at his apprentice, the pride and sheer excitement rolling off the younger man unusual. 

Anakin’s eyes slip closed, his body trembling in what must be pleasure and it takes them all a moment to figure out just what has happened in the universe even as Dooku whimpers and Anakin cackles low in his throat. 

When his eyes open, they find Qui-Gon’s, their color such a bright gold Qui-Gon nearly flinches. The man’s expression is manic, strange, and he bows to the men before spinning on his heal and leaving the room. 

_“Was that?”_ Sidious asks, ignoring his mewling mate on his lap for a moment. Qui-Gon resists the flinch that comes from viewing his former master in such a way, but he averts his eyes anyway. He owes the man that much respect at least. 

“I believe so,” he says and Sidious growls low in his throat, a sign Dooku may be needing his attention frantically at the moment. 

“You are dismissed, Mortem. Get Vader under control or you’ll be hearing from me soon,” Sidious says, quickly turning his attention to Dooku. 

Qui-Gon quickly flees on his own, needing time to settle himself after the reveal. 

Leave it to Obi-Wan Kenobi to shine so brightly and powerfully that any force sensitive in the galaxy could feel it. 

 

 

 

Obi-Wan cries out, Ahsoka holding him steady as his shields break down. They’ve never done anything, the woman he used to consider a daughter quickly becoming his closest friend. He feels awful for burdening her with this, but he needs her. 

Ahsoka’s arm’s pin his to his side, hands clenching his tightly so he can’t hurt himself in the pain. When the heat settles in, she will leave him, but for now it is just the shattering of his shields. 

The shattering of his heart, his life, his _safety…_

He feels Anakin chipping away at them from the other side, trying desperately to reopen the connection that has been lost to them for so long. 

They’re _there…_

He’s _safe_ behind them…

And they’re _gone_ , the world erupting in blinding light as one of the strongest bonds in history slides back into place and secures itself; his heat igniting and sending his body on fire, the flames racing down the length of his body.

Ahsoka stiffens, her nostrils flaring and her brain hurting from the force of what’s just occurred in the force. 

It’s two favorite children have reconnected, their bond shining bright for all to see. 

It screams of possession, of _need_ , and Ahsoka has to leave the room, stumbling out the door even as Obi-Wan cries out in distress. 

The walls seem to close in around him, his breath coming in ragged gulps, his sobs tearing from his throat powerfully. The world is only Anakin, the smug bastard entering his mind easily, even from such a distance. 

Their bond had always been powerful, but now the power feels overwhelming, threatening. It feels like a foreign entity in his mind overcoming him and stealing away control. 

It becomes clear he will never see his children again in that moment and he continues to sob into his pillow, his brain trying to wrap itself around the new-old bond, to establish control and equilibrium. 

He barely feels his heat at first, but when he does it becomes overwhelming, his mate calling and goading to him from the other side of their bond. 

_Tell me where you are and this ends…_

_I can feel how wet for me you are, my love. Let me in and I will help…_

_I’ll make you happy again…_

The whispers torment him and he cries out again, Ahsoka finally busting back into the room, a mask blocking her from most of the scent and she wraps herself around him, placing her shields around his mind momentarily. 

It won’t last long, he can already feel Anakin laughing as he crashes against her too weak shields. 

It won’t last long, but it will give him enough time to get over the mental stress and for his brain to recognize the bond as its own. 

It won’t last long, but it will last _long enough._

Even if he feels like eternity would not be long enough. 

He feels his strength draining, his exhaustion showing through as his eyes drop closed and he doesn’t know if Ahsoka is compelling him to sleep or Anakin. 

But at the moment, he just… can’t… _care._

 

 

 

Padmé huffs as Leia bites down on her arm, the toddler inconsolable. Her brother is giving Satine an equally tough time. They’ve been screaming for almost an hour, both startled out of sleep by something Padmé and Satine don’t know the source of.

Raising force sensitive children with no sense of it on your own is incredibly difficult. They shush the children and cuddle them, but they aren’t babies. 

“I want Daddy!” Leia cries and Padmé curls her tighter into her chest. She also wants Obi-Wan to come home as soon as possible. 

“He’ll be home soon, sweetheart. You just have to be patient, okay?” She prays to the force that the child will calm down, but she wails again, even harder than before.

_“N-no!”_ She hiccups in Padmé’s arms, trying to flail to the side in order for the woman to drop her so she can run free. Padmé isn’t new to her tricks though, and Leia stays wrapped in her arms despite her thrashing. 

Suddenly, Luke flies by, running down the hallway towards where they store the ships. 

“Have to find Daddy!” He yells and his sister lands one good smack on Padmé’s cheek, the shock causing the woman to drop the girl. Padmé swears, taking off after the children, Satine hot on her trail as the troublesome twins try to fly a ship they have no business in. 

“Well,” Satine huffs, “you can’t deny that they are _definitely_ Anakin’s children.” Padmé laughs dryly, lifting Leia once again and taking her back to her room, hoping she can calm the poor child down. 

“Will you check on Daddy, Aunt Padmé?” Leia asks, her eyes wet and Padmé nods, resolving to call Ahsoka with Satine once the children are safe in bed. 

 

 

 

Anakin whistles as he nearly skips towards the hangar in pure joy. The shields that had been hiding Obi-Wan had fallen and now he knows where his mate is. His bond with Obi-Wan is screaming in pain, but it doesn’t matter to him. 

He can _feel it._

For the first time in so long, Obi-Wan is but a reach away. A simple tug along the bond will allow him to know he is safe and okay. Especially when Obi-Wan is back with him again. 

Which he will be. 

_Soon._

He feels along the painful bond, tracing the other end’s location in his brain, knowing the stars well enough to chart a close enough map inside his head. He knows the system and once he’s there, pinpointing Obi-Wan’s location will be easy. 

The hangar is nearly empty and his fighter is off to the slide under a tarp. He drags the fabric off, admiring the old yellow paint job and the way the vehicle still smells like home to him even after years of disuse. 

Artoo chirps to life for the first time in so long, sending an ache down Anakin’s spine. He hadn’t realized before this moment how much he misses his friends from his prior life. 

_Artoo, Padmé, Ahsoka…_

All people he lost when he turned. 

He greets the droid who curses him in response as he climbs in the vehicle. 

“Now hush, Artoo. Don’t you want to see Obi-Wan again?” The droid falls silent and Anakin smirks, flying the ship out of the hangar and up into the atmosphere, ignoring the apprehension he feels from Qui-Gon. 

He’s waited this long, he won’t wait another second. 

Obi-Wan better be ready for him when he arrives, he won’t be separated from his mate for another force forsaken moment. 

Artoo whirls, chirping sadly as he flies the ship into hyperspace. 

Anakin wants to comfort him, but knows it’s pointless. 

Artoo will forgive him when their family is all together again.

_He’s sure of it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just started college so updates may be a bit slower, but I hope you feel it was worth the wait! thank you so much for reading! enjoy and let me know what you think of the chapter!


	6. i'm aching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they meet again

The heat is the most painful he’s ever experienced. When he first started going through them, he had been thirteen and much too young for a mate, but the Jedi had ways to handle them. They had places for omegas to go and pleasure themselves until the need would subside because they were extra vulnerable in heat and the alphas in the temple were prone to losing control around them. 

 

Qui-Gon had taken Obi-Wan to his first heat haven, had promised to be back in a week and although he felt alone, and a part of himself wanted the alpha to stay, he was thankful for the restraint and care Qui-Gon had shown him in his vulnerable moments. 

The Jedi had valued omegas, had protected them, a source of never ending fragility and openness. Omegas were to be loved and cherished always. 

No one had disrespected Obi-Wan, he was strong and could defend himself, and he had a scent most wanted for their own. 

In his youth, he was very much content with his own hand. He hadn’t thought he’d settle down or have children in his lifetime. He was a warrior, and a good one. His skill with a lightsaber was often unparalleled and his negotiation skills enviable. 

As a Jedi, Obi-Wan knew these things. He didn’t brag or take pride in them, but he knew they were useful tools. He was fine on his own. 

And then his master dragged a nine year old boy onto the ship on Tatooine and Obi-Wan had felt himself stiffen. 

“Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he had said and Obi-Wan had felt a hole open in his chest where he had felt complete only moments earlier. His world had crumbled out from underneath him with the short words. 

Anakin Skywalker, when the time came, was going to be _his alpha._

Obi-Wan had fled, the boy’s eyes locked on his retreating form and his master shouting at him to come back. 

Obi-Wan, only twenty at the time, had been granted knighthood following the events on Naboo and had made it his mission to avoid the “Chosen One,” who made it his own mission to hunt Obi-Wan down at every known opportunity. 

It was when the boy was nineteen and Obi-Wan himself thirty that his heat had come early and he had been unable to escape the temple in time to miss Anakin’s fixation. The boy had found him like that, weak and vulnerable. 

But despite his obsession, he didn’t force himself on Obi-Wan. He instead had kneeled near the man, showed great restraint in helping Obi-Wan to his feet and to his quarters. 

“Can-Can I help you through this?” He had asked and when Obi-Wan looked at him wearily, eyes pained, Anakin tried to justify it frantically. 

“I’m an adult and I consent and I’ve wanted you since I was thirteen and went through the process of becoming a full alpha. I know I want this, Obi-Wan,” he bit out and Obi-Wan sighed, his body reacting all too positively to the angry tone. 

In the end, they had made it ten years before they bonded and that was in itself impressive. 

 

Obi-Wan remembers their first heat now as he sweats, Ahsoka draped over him to keep her shields in place, and he misses the man he loves more than anything.  
Misses his Anakin who would be kind and gentle in his heats, driving away the need with tender touches. 

They had been wonderful together, when they had worked out the kinks in their dynamic. 

Their two beautiful twins were a product of that beautiful love.

But so was his current pain and his breath hitches as he feels Anakin enter the star system through his bond. 

He doesn’t know how he fights Ahsoka off, her meditation deep as she struggles to keep his mind safe, but he does. Her eyes open blearily and he forces her saber back in her hands, ripping off his sweat drenched shirt and replacing it with a light tunic. 

“We have to _go_ ,” he demands, working through the obvious pain this all causes him. He is still in the thick of his heat and he wants nothing more than to lay down and let Anakin reach him, but it isn’t an option. 

She feels the presence seconds later and retracts her shields from Obi-Wan’s mind, knowing strategically it will allow them to keep track of Vader’s movements, allow them to stay one step ahead. 

_But it also…_ Obi-Wan groans, bending to catch himself on his knees, bracing himself against the force of Anakin’s desire combined with his own. He takes several deep breaths, Ahsoka hovering over him protectively before he stands and says they can continue. 

They run outside, the air helping to cool his skin as they make their way towards their ship. The woods are thick around their safe house, their ship hidden in a clearing a ways out so they could avoid imperial detection. 

Obi-Wan feels foolish for not keeping it closer to them.

As they start to rush towards the ship, Obi-Wan feels Anakin touch down on the planet and his mate begins to shield, keeping his location hazy even if Obi-Wan knows he’s here. 

They march, and he’s trying to keep up with Ahsoka, but he knows he’s slowing her down. 

“You should go, ‘Soka… I’m just slowing you down and this way you can protect the twins,” he breathes through harsh gasps, and Ahsoka pulls him along, tugging harder on his arm. 

He whimpers. 

“Obi-Wan, leaving you to the mercies of Darth fucking Vader is not something I will ever be willing to do so pull it together and keep moving,” she says and they eventually reach the clearing, Obi-Wan wondering how off Anakin is from their location.

When they reach the ship, Ahsoka snarls, the sent of the clearing revealing Darth Vader himself. 

The alpha’s eyes are gold and wild, instinct taking over and recognizing Ahsoka as a threat. 

“Obi-Wan, _run!_ ” She yells, falling into form quickly and meeting Vader’s blade head on. Obi-Wan starts up the ramp, and he knows that Anakin is dangerous, but also he knows that he can’t go home to the twins regardless and _Ahsoka…_ 'Soka can go and protect them in his absence. 

He takes a deep breath and summons all of his inner strength as a Jedi, knowing he will need it. 

He ignites Anakin’s old blade and knocks Ahsoka aside with the force. 

_“Obi-“_

_“Get on the ship, Ahsoka!”_ He meets Anakin’s red blade, a twin of the one he holds in his hands head on, forcing up and over, entering the opening stance for Soresu. 

“I can smell you everywhere, my love, you will _not_ escape,” the alpha snarls and Obi-Wan focuses on channeling the heat upwards, allowing it to fuel his motions. 

He meets the attack head on, leading Anakin away from the ship, back towards his own fighter Obi-Wan notices in the corner of the clearing. He pushes forward, counting on Anakin’s desire both for him and for his safety back in his arms. 

“I will do what has to be done,” he grits out, his heat flowing and muscles weakening in the presence of his alpha. If nothing changes, if Ahsoka does not escape, he fears they may both be captured.

The droid that whirls behind his mate is familiar and Obi-Wan nearly weeps as he sees Artoo, but it is the droid who wails, loud and clear, a siren.

The sound nearly stuns Obi-Wan, but he recognizes it for what it is and hopes his dear friend is not scrapped for this. 

The alpha cripples to his knees, screaming as the whistle tears through his mind, the sound excrutiating for alphas anywhere. It was an old weapon, one created to help omegas fight off unwanted alphas in the night in the lower levels of Coruscant. Obi-Wan had never thought much of it, having his training to defend himself, but he’s thankful for it now. 

Obi-Wan nods at Artoo in thanks, taking off for the ship where Ahsoka is no doubt also in agony. 

He stops when he hears, _“Obi-Wan!”_ It is torn from unwilling lips, his mate begging him not to abandon him again, but Obi-Wan cannot stay. He backs up the ramp slowly, eyes meeting the gold of his Anakin’s own eyes and tears slip down his cheeks. 

“I’m sorry, Anakin! I’m sorry, but _I can’t do this!_ I can’t support the life you chose,” his heart is crumbling in his chest, the reality of it more than painful. He loves Anakin more than he loves almost anything. 

_Almost…_

But he has two beautiful children who need him and a life beyond what existed with Anakin. 

He isn’t hungry for something the way his mate is, he isn’t hunting for what he feels has been stolen. The truth is that he only aches with the loss of his love to the dark. 

The truth is that he aches with the knowledge that he was not _good enough._

So he turns away, not looking back again as he enters the ship and flies them out of the atmosphere, rubbing circles on Ahsoka’s back as they fly further and further away from the siren whistle, the girl slumped against the console of the ship. She slowly regains composure and he sighs in relief, launching them into hyperspace and standing. 

He has had too much today, he would like to spend the rest of his heat in peace, thank you very much. 

Ahsoka doesn’t stop him to ask how they escaped, doesn’t say anything at all. 

She knows him too well. 

 

 

 

When Artoo feels enough time has passed for Obi-Wan to reach safety, he turns off the siren, Anakin slumping to the ground in obvious relief. 

He pants, the sweat dripping off of his body into the grass of the clearing. 

Eventually, he looks up at his betrayer. 

“How could you?” He asks, not too much fire in his tone. He just wants to know what he did to deserve losing this friend too. 

_You were going to hurt him, I could see it on your face. I won’t let you hurt Obi-Wan._

The droid is as defensive of his mate as he used to be about Anakin himself and he feels the pangs of sadness, the regret heavy in his blood. 

The last words Obi-Wan said are replaying over and over in his mind as he collects his belongings, taking the second unused saber off his belt and lighting it. 

He hadn’t wanted to do this, the droid had been his friend once, a true companion. 

_So, you would murder me too then?_ Artoo asks, the pain somehow audible even in binary. The sound is a low note of sorrow and Anakin cannot even bare to look the droid in the face. 

“At least you will go on his blade instead of my own,” he says and Artoo chirps angrily. 

_Use yours, you coward. I’ll gladly die like the rest of the Jedi. At least they stood for something._ Artoo’s words cut him, but he can’t allow something like this to go unpunished.

Vader’s blood red blade ignites as Obi-Wan's blue shuts off, reflecting off of Artoo’s dome. Even in death, his little astromech was a better man than Anakin could ever hope to be. 

He swings the blade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading, let me know what you thought of the chapter!


	7. I say it's been you all along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the fallout of their latest encounter

Ahsoka groans, rubbing her temples as she makes her way back towards where Obi-Wan had put himself to sleep off the rest of his heat. Seeing Anakin on the planet had been… _hard_ , for both of them. She isn’t quite sure how they’re both alive.

Or at least, she isn’t sure how they’re both safe away from the Sith Lord they both love. 

When Obi-Wan had retreated earlier, she had given him space, knowing he would need it to get over the emotional trauma of seeing Anakin again. The man was in heat for forcesake, Ahsoka isn’t sure how he managed to run from his alphas in that state. 

But she really shouldn’t be surprised, she’s never met a more remarkable living being than Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is the embodiment of grace and strength, and she is very lucky to know him. 

He’s huddled on the ground next to the nearest cot to him, knees folding inwards towards his chest, his head tucked between them. His breaths are labored and harsh, his posture tense. 

“Obi-Wan?” She starts forward, but a hand shoots upward, flaying out as if he were going to force push her backwards. There is no force, but his hand is a clear signal that he wants her to go no further. 

Her favorite man in the galaxy says and does nothing further, allowing his hand to drop back to his side. She can smell the heat receding and with careful control, she moves a good distance away and sits against the cot as well, keeping a body’s worth of space between the two of them. 

_“Ahsoka…”_ He groans out, his head still not coming up to look at her. 

“I’m here, Master, I’m not going to leave you alone like this,” she promises and hears a sob hitch it’s way out of Obi-Wan’s throat. He’s shaking slightly now, his instincts berating him for doing what he knows to be the right thing. 

_“I hurt him,”_ he cries, face finally coming up and betraying the slight gold that has taken over his irises, the pain and grief and _fear_ clear in his expression. Ahsoka nearly flings herself backwards in shock, but forces herself to stay where she is. 

This, in front of her right now, is Obi-Wan Kenobi _unhinged._

A man who is having everything he ares about robbed right out from underneath him. He is losing his carefully constructed sanity, a byproduct of having his shields demolished. 

Ahsoka was the padawan of an impulsive Jedi, one who saw little value in the art of meditation no matter how much his own teacher had tried to show him the light. She was the sister of a boy who had demoslished everything in his anger and his fear for losing the one he loves even now. 

She remembers it, remembers this insanity making only one prior appearance in their lives before.

 

She sees Obi-Wan walk out of the ship in her mind, hands carefully cradling his just beginning to show pregnant stomach with careful arms, descending the ramp onto the hot surface of Mustafar. He had been on Naboo when he heard the news, a very desperate Yoda comming him to alert him of the attack on the temple, claiming the clones had turned on the Jedi. 

Except Cody stood firm at the door and did not spin to attack his Jedi charge. Obi-Wan had told her about how he had incapacitated Cody, knowing a confrontation would not end well. A sneak-attack was beneath a Jedi of Obi-Wan's skill, but he had been slightly out of his usual fighting shape. 

He had Luke and Leia to protect. 

When he had climbed aboard his ship, he had taken off, stopping on Coruscant only briefly to grab her. 

“Do you know where he is?” He had asked her desperately, needing to know Anakin was okay. Ahsoka, who had been with Yoda taken stock of what had occurred at the temple, just averted her eyes, Yoda even keeping quiet. 

“No easy way, to tell you this, is there, young Obi-Wan…” Even following the news of Anakin and Qui-Gon’s betrayal, he had maintained his composure. He had dropped Yoda with Bail and then they had left for Mustafar. 

In her minds eye, she sees Obi-Wan rush forward into the arms of his mate, allowing Vader to nuzzle along their bond mark at the base of Obi-Wan’s throat. Qui-Gon isn’t on planet, her mind reminds her as she watches Anakin and Obi-Wan discuss the events. 

“Anakin… Yoda and Ahsoka have told me terrible things,” he starts, but Anakin interrupts, pressing a harsh kiss to his mate’s lips. 

“You _will_ listen to me, Obi-Wan, I did what I had to,” she had heard and then the rest had been harsh whispers and cries of betrayal before Obi-Wan severed Anakin’s mechanical hand with his lightsaber, pulling it out of his cloak with a speed Ahsoka was unfamiliar with. His moves were no longer graceful, his eyes lost their focus.

 

Yes, the only other time she had seen him like this was when they had fled Mustafar, Obi-Wan having been broken during his argument with Anakin on the molten surface. 

 

Now, she moves forward, wrapping her arms around the man and allowing them to sit there until he stops shaking. Eventually, the rabid look in his eyes fades and he just looks tired and sad, far different then his usual confidence. They both know in order to return to the twins, they have to reconstruct his shields to a point where he can hide his location from his mate. 

It’s possible, they can’t block a bond of that strength completely, but they can to the point where Anakin won’t be able to know his exact location. 

She shifts on the floor until she’s sitting in front of Obi-Wan and offers him her hands.

And so the padawan of an impulsive, reckless Jedi turns to meditation to save the man she’s sworn to protect with her life. 

 

 

 

Anakin’s first instinct is to scour the galaxy for his runaway mate, but he had attacked at Obi-Wan’s most vulnerable and still his mate had been able to run from him. The thought saddens him, but he knows Obi-Wan will give into him soon. 

His mate had looked frantic and exposed back on the planet they had just departed from. He had wanted very much to run into Anakin’s arms and let the man love him, but there was something that kept him away. 

Something or _someone._

The thought that Obi-Wan may love another sends anger to his very nerve endings, making him want to end the lives of anyone who would dare take priority over him in Obi-Wan’s heart. 

He doesn’t care if it’s Ahsoka, a girl he once loved like a sister. He doesn’t care who the person or people are. He will _end them_ for keeping his mate away from him. 

His comm rings. 

“Hello, Masters,” he greets, knowing the other three Sith Lords are on the other end of the line. 

_“Lord Vader, we sensed a disturbance in the force. Are you all right?”_ Sidious inquires and Vader knows he will have to reveal his failure, no matter how embarrassing it is. 

“I’m fine, Masters. My droid… turned on me, he helped Obi-Wan flee the planet,” he explains, taking a glance back towards where Artoo lies in a heap. 

_“I trust you took care of it then? We can’t have droids changing loyalties,”_ Dooku asks and ignores Anakin’s flinch. The only who offers any sympathy in their eyes is Qui-Gon, who knew most of them all how attached to Artoo Anakin Skywalker had been in his Jedi days. 

“I… did. The problem was taken care of, Master Tyranus,” he answers honestly. Artoo will no longer be a problem. 

_“And Obi-Wan has escaped once again?”_ Sidious asks, his voice dripping with mockery, teasing the younger Sith for allowing his Jedi mate to flee from him not for the first time. His head tilts, his eyes showing a cruel form of pity. Anakin nods stiffly in the comm, knowing they can see his response. Sidious tsks at his lack of a vocal response. 

_“Do you need help, Lord Vader? I’m sure Lord Mortem and Lord Tyranus would be happy to help you accomplish this most difficult task,”_ he sneers and Anakin presses his eyes shut tight, afraid to give himself away. 

He doesn’t need anyone’s help to bring Obi-Wan to heal, he can do that all on his own.

“No, Master, I can handle him on my own,” he growls out between clenched teeth and Sidious laughs at him, the sound loud and cruel. Vader’s eyes burn an angry gold, his fury palpable even though Qui-Gon is half a galaxy away from him. 

_“Are you sure?”_ He taunts one last time and Vader snarls, bringing the comm close to his face as he answers, 

“Quite.” And ends the comm. He knows he will be punished later for his behavior, but he just leans back and sighs, scrubbing his face with his palms roughly. 

_Obi-Wan, why do you run? Do you not miss me the way I miss you?_

_Do you not love me anymore?_

He reaches out for the bond that had briefly been so strong, but his mate has re-fortified his shields enough to keep himself and his location hidden for the time being. 

Anakin sighs again. 

At least it no longer feels as though Obi-Wan has ceased to exist. 

He can feel Obi-Wan’s heart beating beside his own, an echo of their love and their bond, and he revels in it. It is a start. 

After a few minutes, his comm chirps again expectedly, Qui-Gon calling once again to try to solve the problems Vader caused with their Masters. 

“Master,” he greets tersely, his tone still angry. 

_“Anakin, you have to stop letting them under your skin like that,”_ he chastises. Anakin rolls his eyes, knowing well and good that Qui-Gon can see him on the end. Qui-Gon loves him like a son, has since he found him on Tatooine and took him under his wing. He’s been there for everything, has been there through Anakin’s love story with Obi-Wan. He understands more than anyone else possibly could. He misses Obi-Wan almost as much as Anakin. 

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are the missing parts to their family, they _belong_ with Anakin and Qui-Gon. Anakin will kill Ahsoka though if she has so much as touched his mate. 

“I know,” he concedes to his greatest remaining friend. Qui-Gon’s eyes are sad as they look at his boy. 

_“Come back home, Anakin. We’ll discuss a better plan to capture Obi-Wan when you’re here,”_ he says and although a denial is on the tip of his tongue, Anakin finds himself nodding. He doesn’t even know where Obi-Wan is at the moment and wildly exploring space in search of him is pointless and a waste of valuable time.

Anakin still has responsibilities and he needs to distract himself, reign in his anger before he tracks down his wayward mate again. 

His mind obviously needs to be clear if they’re going to come face to face again. Obi-Wan cannot hold any advantage over Anakin if he is to capture him. 

He sets course for Coruscant, away from Obi-Wan for the time being. 

 

 

“Darth Mortem,” Sidious calls him back, a truly evil smirk on his face.

“Yes, Master?” He asks, anxious to comm Anakin and check on his boy, something he knows Sidious can sense. Dooku refuses to meet Qui-Gon’s gaze, keeping his eyes set on the floor, an emotion that almost looks like guilt playing out across his face. 

“You should know, about Lord Vader’s mate…” He starts, purposely dragging it out, but Qui-Gon’s patience is at an end. 

_“What?”_ He bites out, Sidious laughing out loud at breaking even the most composed of his students. 

“Kenobi was pregnant when he fled from Lord Vader on Mustafar all those years ago,” he says as if it makes no difference, even as Qui-Gon chokes in the back of his throat. A question of _"how?"_ cannot escape his mouth in his shock. 

“Do with that information as you please, Lord Mortem, you are dismissed,” he waves him out, running his hand through Dooku’s hair. Qui-Gon looks to Dooku once for some sort of explanation, but receives nothing. 

He storms out to call Anakin, resolving to keep this to himself for now. He loves Anakin enough to know that this information will only hurt him. 

And he loves Obi-Wan enough to protect him from the wrath that will wait for him if Anakin ever discovers his betrayal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some more background for you guys on how everything played out in the past! don't worry, i have a great chapter planned that really exposes the past in all of it's gory details. 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you think in the comments!


	8. i imagine you are home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they go home.

The thing looming in the sky is an obstruction in the force. Anakin feels bile rolling in his stomach, the contraption taking up three-fourths of the viewport. Qui-Gon is still as a statue next to him, his face shadowed by the hood. 

The fluorescents are almost the only light, the metal death-trap blocking starlight from entering the starship. 

“It’s an abomination,” Anakin hisses and Qui-Gon turns to look at him from the corner of his eye. Sidious has brought them here to see his weapon, the thing that will solidify his control over the galaxy as a whole. 

The weapon sings of tortured kyber crystals torn by forces they did not accept. They scream into the void, wanting someone to return them to their birthplace until a worthy warrior finds them to power a weapon that will bind them at the soul. 

Anakin remembers the first organic crystal that had chosen him. It had felt like an honor, a partnership. Obi-Wan’s crystal on his belt hums lowly, mourning the loss of his brother and sister crystals. Anakin strokes the hilt subconsciously. 

“It’s his vision,” Qui-Gon says and Anakin rolls his eyes in response. 

“A vision that denies the force itself. This is dis-“ the force presses his lips closed and he glares at his master who finally faces him completely. 

“Anakin, mind your tongue or you may find yourself without one,” he warns, the worry in his eyes clear. Anakin knows that Qui-Gon worries Anakin will piss off Dooku or Sidious enough that they get rid of him, but Anakin himself isn’t worried at all. 

They would be idiots to take him on. 

He sighs, placing his hand on Qui-Gon’s shoulder, something Obi-Wan used to do to both of them when trying to reassure them. He isn’t sure when he started imitating his mate, but he supposes it’s fairly natural.

“I will try, My Master,” he says sincerely and he means it, he won’t cause Qui-Gon unnecessary pain if it can be avoided. They look back out at the Death Star, effectively putting the conversation to an end. 

“Ah, there they are,” Dooku says from behind them, Anakin feeling both his and Palpatine’s approach in the force. He cringes internally, knowing that Palpatine will be angry about Anakin hanging up with him the last time they spoke. He turns when Qui-Gon does, bowing deeply to both the Master and the Master’s Mate. 

“Lord Mortem, Lord Vader,” Sidious says, granting them permission to stand fully after a long moment. Anakin meets his eyes straight on, his face clear of any emotion. Sidious smirks, clearly toying with an idea in his sick head. 

Vader can see when he makes a decision, the grin on his face victorious and truly evil.

“Lord Vader, I’m surprised you’re still here after you heard the news. I was sure you were going to betray orders when you heard,” he says and Vader stiffens at being addressed, but it is Qui-Gon who freezes. 

Anakin looks at his master, sees the fear frozen in his golden eyes, sees the sick pleasure in Palpatine’s, feels the air stop in his throat. Even Dooku averts his eyes in shame. 

“What news?” He bites out, anger rising to the surface of his shields. He doesn’t know what’s happening, but it must be bad if even _Qui-Gon-_

“The news about Obi-Wan having been pregnant when he abandoned you on Mustafar all those years ago,” he says and Anakin lowers to his knees, bringing his hands up to his temples. He hears Sidious laugh, sees Qui-Gon’s face morph into fury as he opens his mouth to yell, but the ringing in his ears is deafening. 

_I can’t breathe_ , he thinks, hands coming down from his forehead to his throat to paw at it. He can’t focus, the world starting to spin around him. 

_I have a child…_

_I have a child and Obi-Wan kept them from me._

_He didn’t tell me._

His rage is palpable in the air, the force of it swallowing him and he feels hands picking him up. He doesn’t resist, lets who he assumes is Qui-Gon lead him from the deck and down the hall to the lift that will lead to his quarters. His hood is around his head, blocking his view and he keeps looking at the ground, shaking slightly.

He no longer feels angry, just a sad sort of numb. 

What had all of this been for? Why had Obi-Wan kept their child from him?

_Isn’t it obvious?_ An old part of him whispers in the back of his mind. _You’re a monster, Obi-Wan would never risk having you in their life._ Vader shuts it down, shoving the voice far away and allowing his helper to move him into his room and then into bed. 

He goes to thank Qui-Gon, but is shocked to find that it’s Dooku who pulls the covers up over him, leaving him fully clothed. Dooku meets his gaze, the sympathetic pity in his eyes hardening as he does. 

“I loved Obi-Wan too, you know,” Dooku says and Anakin says nothing. He can’t say anything at all as Dooku sweeps from the room as elegantly as ever, leaving a devastated Anakin in his wake. 

_Obi-Wan… Why didn’t you tell me?_

 

 

Qui-Gon closes his mouth, both him and Sidious turning to watch Dooku haul Anakin back to his feet. The man usually mocks and picks on Anakin, but now, now he lifts the much younger man and leads him off the deck, turning to shoot glaring daggers at his mate.

Qui-Gon looks to Palpatine to see his reaction, but the man is shocked silent, jaw slightly agape as his usually obedient mate carries Vader off.

The paternal instinct of an omega has been something Qui-Gon never considered Dooku to have, but that in itself is a silly notion. Dooku had raised him once upon a time. He considers Qui-Gon a son and sometimes that is all that saves Anakin from the man’s wrath. Anakin and Obi-Wan were his grandsons’. 

“You are dismissed, Lord Mortem,” Sidious announces, his eyes cold and Qui-Gon flees, not wanting to be on the other end of the man’s rage. 

 

 

 

The ship touches down in the grass, the familiar house in the distance as Obi-Wan hobbles off the ship, Ahsoka at his side. His gaze is rabid, hungry for love and the need to see his pups safe. His children are the reason for his life right now, he has missed them with his entire being. 

He looks at Ahsoka and forces himself to smile, the hunger ebbing into excitement as he tosses her his weapon, taking off at a run for the last couple paths to their little cottage. He can feel Satine and Padmé in the force as well as the supernovas that are his babies. 

Luke and Leia Skywalker-Kenobi shine like fires on a dark night, brightening his otherwise dark existence. 

_If only Anakin could know them…_

He stops the thought where it is. Anakin chose to not be in their lives when he chose the dark side, and wondering about what it would be like for him to be here with them will only hurt Obi-Wan further than he has been. 

Seeing Anakin and being in heat and having his shields implode had been… One of the toughest things he’s ever been through. Including the Clone War and Order 66. 

He puts on his best smile, forcing thoughts of Anakin away and playfully shoving Ahsoka as they finally reach the cottage, the alpha pulling ahead of him for the last couple feet. She laughs loudly as she falls onto her butt, the ground squishing beneath her weight. 

_“Daddy!”_ He hears chorus through the air and immediately his attention shifts to the house, abandoning Ahsoka on the ground to rush forward and scoop up his children as they run out the door, Satine and Padmé appearing behind them in the doorway. He smiles up at them, trying to ignore the concerned looks on their faces as he kisses the cheeks of his children. 

“Daddy, we painted for you!” Luke shares this enthusiastically, Leia tugging on Obi-Wan’s beard as they talk. He walks into the house with Luke and Leia on each arm, happy to be here for the moment before he refocuses on the problems ahead of them. 

The sky is pink on the horizon, the blue fading with the sun’s departure and the trees casting long shadows on their home. The home Bail had acquired for them when things went to hell had been nice, but this was better, secured through Obi-Wan’s own gambling with a sleemo in a random cantina. There were little to no ties to the Core that could be traced to this home, him going by Ben when out in public. 

He is no longer General Obi-Wan Kenobi, he is just Obi-Wan; a father and an ex-warrior. He is a friend, an omega on the run from the most dangerous alpha in the galaxy, but he is still a Jedi. Through it all and everything else, despite what anyone may think or believe, he is _still_ a Jedi. 

They sit, Padmé bringing the twin’s dinner to the table and setting it in front of Obi-Wan. He lets them eat on their own, both of them being plenty old enough to. They dig in and he looks up at Padmé. She narrows her eyes and he bows his head, nodding as he does. 

This is a conversation he’s not getting out of. 

They finish eating quickly, Leia asking, “Can we go play with Auntie ‘Soka now?” He laughs, nodding.

“Absolutely, but only until bedtime, okay?” They agree eagerly and run off, Padmé and Satine coming to sit near him almost immediately. 

“Obi-Wan, how are you here?” Satine finally asks after several moments of silence, asking the brutal question he most certainly doesn’t want to answer. He hesitates, a wince on his features and he sees Padmé go to scold her, but it isn’t necessary. Satine has always been the more blunt of the two of them, and he needs to be forced to communicate sometimes.

_“Artoo-"_ his voice breaks for a moment as he thinks of his mate’s former astromech. Artoo had been faithful and reliable, a humorous addition to missions and long nights at the temple where they would sit around and watch holofics. Artoo is family, plain and simple. 

He had saved Obi-Wan’s life one last time.

Beyond hope or reason, Obi-Wan prays to the force for a moment that Anakin spared him. Losing another part of his family would just further crush his soul. 

“Artoo used the defense whistle omegas use on alphas in the lower levels of Coruscant. I’ve never payed much attention to the technology-as advanced as it is, because of my training, but it saved my life. Artoo saved my life and incapacitated Anakin until I could leave the system,” he forces out, his friends softening beside him. He knows they just want to protect his children and for that he is extremely grateful. He smiles softly when Padmé grasps his hand. 

“Anakin would never hurt Artoo,” she assures, confident in her knowledge of his mate. He knows they were best friends and he doesn’t want to hurt her so her smiles ruefully.

“We used to think Anakin would never do lots of things, Padmé. I don’t trust my knowledge of him anymore,” he says and sees Padmé nod, ducking her head in slight shame for assuming to know more about Anakin than his own mate. He wants to assure her that he doesn’t mind, that he doeesn’t solely have claim to Anakin’s memory, but instinct wins out for the moment and he allows the beta to know her place. Anakin isn’t dead, just a monster, he needs to allow Padmé time to grieve too, he knows. Slowly, he reaches out and grasps her other hand. 

“Anakin was your friend, Padmé and he trusted you more than almost anyone. You have a right to say things like that. You knew him too, he wasn’t just mine,” he says, trying to smile. He’s so exhausted from the last couple of weeks that he knows he has to sleep. 

He stands to go get the twins and put them to bed, but white hot pain courses down his body from his neck and he’s suddenly falling to his knees. 

Falling to his chest being flat on the floor. 

Then he knows nothing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these chapters are sooooo dramatic I'm so sorry. I hope you're all still enjoying this fic, i promise the angst will not last forever! let me know what you think in the comments, i love hearing from you guys so much!


	9. you open your eyes into mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anakin and obi-wan reunite

Obi-Wan sets the ship down outside Varykino, needing a place to meditate on the events of the last couple months and recuperate. It belongs to Padmé’s family still, even after the woman vacated her seat in the senate abruptly when the Empire took over, bringing shame to her crown here on Naboo. Her family had ended up relocating to Alderaan in hopes to escape angry citizens, selling their main home in Theed, but here, their lake house, is a place of fond memories they couldn’t bring themselves to part with. 

It was where Anakin and Obi-Wan had secretly gotten married right before the clone wars began.

He loves it here, even if the happy memories cause him grief he almost can’t stand. 

Padmé and Satine have taken off for Mandalore to connect with rebel groups there, trying to convince them to connect with the large scale rebellion in the galaxy.

The twins and Ahsoka are having a weekend to themselves back at home. 

Obi-Wan has come here to meditate and center himself for a day, something he hasn’t been able to do in far too long. 

He settles on a balcony over looking the very place he and Anakin took their vows and settles into a deep meditation, content to bathe in the sunlight for hours as he finds peace within the force. 

 

 

 

 

Anakin needs to get away for a while. Knowing he had lost Obi-Wan all of those years ago had been hard, a horrible thing he didn’t know if he could survive. 

But a _child…_

_How could Obi-Wan do this to me?_

He knows the thought isn’t fair, knows deep down that Obi-Wan would give anything to raise their family together, but if he thinks rationally, then it’s his fault and Anakin…

Anakin can’t face what he’s done both to himself and to the one he loves most in the galaxy. So he fortifies his shields with darkness and allows the rage to take precedent over everything else. 

_Obi-Wan has wronged me in the worst way…. Yes. He must be punished._

He leaves a note for Qui-Gon on a datapad and heads for the hangar bay, knowing where he can go to reflect on the status of his relationship with his estranged mate. 

His fighter, the old yellow one, is still in the hangar he knows and he’ll take it. He feels the odd need to be surrounded by objects from his former life. He ignores the pang of sadness that comes with the knowledge that his favorite droid won’t be flying with him this time. 

“Where are you going?” A voice asks and startles the Sith Lord from his reverie. He looks up, disturbed to see the yellow gold of Dooku’s own gaze. 

“I have to… clear my head,” he says and Dooku casts his eyes downward, acting too like the omega his instincts say he should be, not at all like the Master’s Mate Anakin is used to. 

“Please, whatever you feel you must do, don’t hurt him too much. He was only acting in the way he thought best for his pup,” Dooku requests, sending Anakin into a shock he can’t bring himself out of before Dooku sweeps away. 

Anakin is left to wonder why Dooku would request something like that. 

 

 

 

 

Obi-Wan can feel the sun setting, his face being hit with a slight breeze, pleasant and sweet, bringing the scent of local fauna to his nose. He smiles gently, feeling much more at peace with the galaxy then he did prior to his visit. He stands, bringing his arms up in a stretch. He feels almost content here, in his happiest place, the place he wanted the twins to grow up visiting. 

If only the path their lives had taken were different. He can picture them splashing about in the water, screaming as Anakin tossed them in the air during the summer months here on Naboo. 

But alas, their lives were not like that and never would be. Their father had taken that from them without even realizing. He feels tears slip down his cheeks and allows them to come freely for once.

Here, where he isn’t a warrior or a parent, just an omega without his alpha, he allows himself the right to be sad, to be weak. He was never meant to be without Anakin by his side, of that he is sure, but the Sith are a poison and they had taken the love of his life from him. 

Although, he knows some of the blame falls on Anakin himself for not trusting in Obi-Wan’s strength in the force and his skill as a Jedi. 

_I killed Grievous, Anakin. The thing you destroyed the galaxy for. If only you had believed in me…_

He walks down the set of stairs nearby to the ledge where he once stood in all white, stating vows to the man he still loves even after all that he’s done. He mouths the vows they once pledged to each other, but there wasn’t a vow for staying with your spouse even when they commit mass genocide. 

He runs a hand over the balcony rail, missing Anakin so deeply in that moment that it almost physically aches. 

He’s so caught up in the moment, the recollection of one of the happiest moments in his life, he doesn’t feel the mark on his neck start to itch, doesn’t feel the torrent of emotions on the other end of an old bond. He willfully ignores it, hoping it goes away. 

Eventually, he looks up at the ledge he had spent his day meditating on and finds himself staring into gold eyes, a smirk on his lover’s face. He sighs deeply, turning away from Anakin and back towards the water.

_Maybe it’s an illusion,_ he thinks to himself. He’s stopped crying, but he considers hurling himself into the water at this point. He hears footsteps approaching, but his mate’s usual pleasure in reconnecting is gone at the moment. 

“There’s no Ahsoka, no Artoo, no savior. Just you and me,” Anakin says as he comes up beside Obi-Wan, looking out at the water. Obi-Wan doesn’t answer, just allows them to stand there in silence. In the place where they had married what feels like so long ago. 

“I only need myself,” Obi-Wan declares eventually, feeling the weight of Anakin’s force presence weighing heavily against his mind. Anakin smirks for a half-second but it falls quickly, melting away as his posture and facial expression become stiff. 

“What did you name them?” He asks blandly and Obi-Wan freezes, hand on his lightsaber before he can think and he’s already turning to run, to flee from his mate once again. Anakin snarls, a hand on the back of Obi-Wan’s neck as he lifts and tosses him to the ground. 

“Tell me. What did you name our baby?” Obi-Wan chokes as Anakin sits on his chest, pressing his forehead against his mate’s. Obi-Wan’s eyes are frantic, his scent one of pure fear to the point where it makes Anakin want to sob. He knew Obi-Wan felt he couldn’t walk this path with Anakin, but he had never known Obi-Wan was _afraid_ of him. 

Anakin takes a deep breath, he had never wanted to do this, but his mate left him no choice. He buries his face in Obi-Wan’s neck and slips his teeth into the mating mark, enjoying the way Obi-Wan bucks beneath him, but determined not to get distracted. 

Obi-Wan’s eyes are haze filled and blank when he pulls away, a dumb expression on his face as Anakin nuzzles against his jaw for a moment, briefly remembering how this face used to be combined with the remnants of post-sex pleasure between them. 

“Tell me, Love,” he mumbles and Obi-Wan’s mouth opens and shuts a few times before he seems to remember the question.

“Luke and Leia,” he says clearly and Anakin inhales sharply, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He and his beautiful Obi-Wan have twins. 

_Twins._

He abruptly gets off his mate and sits on the railing until the haze leaves his lover’s eyes, the balcony bathed in moonlight from above. It’s romantic, it feels like their wedding night. 

“…Anakin?” Obi-Wan asks, stretching and rubbing his back where he had impacted when Anakin threw him. His face is pleasant, a small smile on it, and Anakin realizes he isn’t quite with it yet. Obi-Wan is probably assuming they had sex, that they are years in the past.

Anakin’s heart aches when he watches realization appear on his face. Realization and then outrage. 

“You-You _bit me!_ ” His eyes are full of hurt, righteous fury. Anakin feels the sense of betrayal in their bond and he nods, smiling cruelly. 

“You hid our pups from me,” he says, as if it makes it okay that Anakin had pretty much drugged him. Obi-Wan stands up, brushing his robes off, dust and loose pebbles falling to the ground beneath him. His face quickly becomes damp and he turns away, he doesn’t want to show weakness towards the man who ruined his life. 

How did they get to this point?

“Did I not love you enough?” He asks and the cruel smile slips from Anakin’s face, his eyes almost becoming blue again in the darkness of the Naboo night, “Did I not give you enough of myself to keep you happy?” Anakin extends an arm, but Obi-Wan slaps it away. Anakin’s fury melts away in the face of his mate’s pain and his heart begins to beat faster. 

“I, of _course-_ “

“ _Stop!_ Just stop, Anakin. You want to know why I kept them hidden? Because you always choose power. You loved me you say, but you chose power over me and I couldn’t be sure you wouldn’t choose it over them,” he says and Anakin inhales again, his eyes full of pain that is quickly turning to anger.

“All of this was for you! For you and our children!” Obi-Wan scoffs, finally facing his mate again. 

“Oh please, Anakin. You were always unsettled with the Jedi. You were too constricted, you felt they held you back. When Qui-Gon offered you another path, you jumped on it! Even though it meant betraying me,” he says and Anakin is seething now. 

“So that means you get to hide our children from me?” He snarls, taking a step closer to Obi-Wan who scowls up at him, ever the Jedi Master. 

“I did what I thought was best to protect _my_ children. I kept them out of the hands of a Sith Lord, something their father, Anakin Skywalker, would agree with if he hadn’t allowed himself to be brainwashed,” he spits, stepping closer to Anakin and jabbing a finger to annunciate important points, “If he hadn’t allowed himself to fall for the illusion that power would make him happier.” They’re close now, chests flushed as they press against each other. This close, their heartbeats thunder in time. 

“You’re out of line,” Anakin roars, his chest rumbling from the force of his anger. 

“And as long as you cling to your pathetic darkness, you’ll never know our children,” Obi-Wan says simply before removing himself, heading inside where he will grab some old trinkets for Padmé and then head home to his kids. 

Anakin snarls, following him.

“They’re _mine!_ You can’t keep-“

“You killed _children_ , Anakin! _Younglings!_ And don’t tell me you didn’t, Master Yoda was insistent that I watch what my mate did to my brother and sister Jedi,” Obi-Wan snaps and Anakin stumbles back for a second, shocked. 

“I’m leaving,” Obi-Wan sighs, turning his back away from his mate and continuing up the path towards the house. 

“Like _hell_ you are,” Anakin snarls, regaining his composure, and suddenly Obi-Wan feels himself being tugged against his mate’s body. Anakin spins him so that they are face to face, molten gold meeting icy blue. 

Anakin kisses him like the galaxy is collapsing in on itself and Obi-Wan can’t help it, he moans, opening his mouth and reciprocating the kiss. 

Anakin pulls away, smirking once again. 

_“Sleep,”_ he commands.

Obi-Wan collapses in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH ! well, anakin finally has him! let me know what you think of the chapter and as always, thank you for reading!


	10. i'm not sure how i got there

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, i know i usually don't update for forever, but I've just gone on break from college, so this is here early! Hope you all enjoy!

In the Outer Rim, there are omegas who spend their lives in brothels, chained to walls so that alphas can have their way with them. They spend their lives in chains and eat very little and have lots of illegitimate children that get left in the streets for dead or for slavers to come find. It is a life of pain and suffering, one Obi-Wan feels privileged to have saved people from and to have avoided in his lifetime. 

But where he is now can’t be much different. 

Anakin has left him in a ship that he leaves in the atmosphere of whatever planet he’s needed on with a force-inhibitor collar and chains holding him to a wall in the refresher. When he’s onboard, they fight, anger forcing it’s way forward while Obi-Wan is unable to meditate and Anakin’s own unruly temper causing their communication to be harsh. When he isn’t, Obi-Wan thinks of his babies, of his girls. They’re on their own without him and even though he knows they’re more than capable, he worries for them constantly. 

Without the force, he finds himself singing more and more, old battle songs and mourning tunes he’s learned from his time exploring other cultures while negotiating peace in other systems. 

He knows they are above Coruscant at the moment, that they’ll stay here for a while so Anakin can continue ongoing meetings with his Sith friends. Obi-Wan hangs his head, sighing as he hears the sounds of his mate’s telltale return, humming the song that played during the knighting ceremony in the temple. 

The door to the fresher opens and Obi-Wan pointedly ignores his mate, his husband, as Anakin unlocks his chains and moves away, looking down on him with an annoyed expression. 

“If you tell me where they are, I’ll bring you to them. I just want to know my children, Obi,” he says and the words are flowery, but they’re all Vader. Anakin would never have done this to him before his fall.

Anakin had loved him. 

It may not have been enough for him in the end, but Anakin Skywalker had loved him at some point. 

“I won’t. You don’t deserve them, Vader, and you don’t deserve me either,” he says, but he can’t meet his mate’s eyes as he does. He loves Anakin. He loves the man who laughed when they made love, always teasing in the most adorable way. He loves the man whose brow would furrow when he pouted, put out that Obi-Wan wouldn’t set aside Council business to go work on a fighter with him in the temple hangar bay. He loves the man who rolled around in a meadow with Obi-Wan after they were wed, enjoying the sun and the breeze from nearby Naboo trees. 

He loves that man. Loves everything they had, everything they did, and he may not have died, but this man in front of him… 

_This_ man is not _that_ man. 

This version of him is not his Anakin. 

Vader snarls as he yanks Obi-Wan up on his feet, dragging him from the fresher with such strength that Obi-Wan is sure he isn’t even straining. Obi-Wan may have even lost a bit of weight in the weeks since Anakin kidnapped him from Varykino. Vader drops him on a stool in the kitchen, grabbing a pan and filling it with water before turning the stove on and dumping the instant Alderranian spice noodles in, knowing it’s one of Obi-Wan’s favorites. 

_He wants me to eat_ , Obi-Wan thinks, but the thought brings no emotion forward. Vader stands next to the stove, crossing his arms across his broad chest and making direct eye contact with his mate. 

They sit like that for a while before Vader sighs in exasperation, coming forward to press his forehead against Obi-Wan’s, something they used to do often when they would make love or meditate or even argue. Obi-Wan looks up at Vader blandly, knowing he needs to stop thinking of the man as Anakin. 

_“Obi-Wan,”_ he breathes and then his lips are on the omegas, tongue prodding against Obi-Wan’s lips, trying to enter his mouth, but Obi-Wan locks them shut and looks at Vader with narrow eyes when he pulls back to look at his mate in shock. 

“Why won’t you kiss me?” He asks as if it’s really even a question. Obi-Wan tilts his head, mocking the alpha a bit, but he offers no verbal response. Vader’s shock quickly turns to fury and he tries again, slamming his lips against Obi-Wan’s in a desperate attempt for intimacy with the other man. Obi-Wan smirks when Vader rips away from him with a snarl. 

“You know what? _Fine,_ don’t kiss me. It’s only another week or so before you go into heat and won’t be able to help it,” he fumes, but he’s smirking by the end of it, eyes a toxic, sick yellow as he marches forward again, taking Obi-Wan by the chin and forcing him to look into the Sith Lord’s eyes. 

Because that’s what they are, the eyes of the man Anakin traded his soul to become.

_Vader._

Obi-Wan is an adversary, keeping something from the Sith that the man very much wants. Obi-Wan is no longer just his weak mate, he is an enemy, something to be destroyed, to be beaten. 

“And if you won’t bring me to my children, I suppose we could just,” he pauses, trailing a flesh finger down the side of Obi-Wan’s face and neck, “make a couple more. We’d have a litter.” Vader laughs as he spins away from his mate, going to the pot and scooping noodles into a bowl before plopping it down in front of Obi-Wan who scowls up at him, ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

“Now, eat up Obi, you’ll need your strength,” he says before sweeping from the room, leaving Obi-Wan alone with his horror and the urge to be violently ill all over Vader’s quarters. 

 

 

 

 

“How is he?” Qui-Gon asks and Anakin shrugs. In all honesty, Anakin feels slightly ill about the way he’s been treating his mate, but he doesn’t know what else to do. Obi-Wan has kept things from him, pivotal information, and it makes it impossible for Anakin to trust him. 

“He’s not very happy with me. I don’t know what to do Qui-Gon,” Anakin admits, lowering his head into his hands. Qui-Gon places a comforting hand on the small of his back. They’re in the training salles on Coruscant, just having left a meeting with Sidious and Tyranus. 

For a moment, Anakin feels like they’re back in the Jedi Temple, like Obi-Wan will run in with Ahsoka on his heels, laughing as they come to watch Qui-Gon and Anakin duel for fun. He can feel the content feeling of another life just beyond his reach and scowls. 

They could still have that if only his mate weren’t so stubborn. 

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan belong with them, building the Empire to new heights and fixing the broken parts of the galaxy, making things the way they want them to be. 

She would come home if Obi-Wan asked it of her, she would bring his kids if Obi-Wan asked it of her. Ahsoka was always weak when it came to his mate. She saw him as her best friend and a role model, a man who found serenity and calmness easily in his core as opposed to anger and frustration like Anakin and herself. 

But none of that matters if Obi-Wan won’t ask it of her and judging by the current state of their interactions, Obi-Wan is in no hurry to do something like that. 

_You could always… make him_ , the thought enters his mind and for a moment, Anakin is horrified with himself for even considering something like that. Using an alpha voice to control an omega is illegal on Coruscant and for good reason, it completely strips the omega of their free will. They’re helpless against it. 

_Just so he will contact Ahsoka and get her to meet him with their kids… It would only be once._ Anakin shakes the thoughts away. If he did that, Obi-Wan would never ever forgive him. 

That was certain.

He’d be giving up any hope of ever having a relationship with Obi-Wan again and… And Anakin doesn’t want that. Obi-Wan is still his favorite person in the entire universe. So that idea is a harsh no. 

“Anakin, what have you said to him?” Qui-Gon asks eventually, startling Anakin out of his own thoughts. Anakin feels shame color his cheeks and he huffs, moving to press his face into Qui-Gon’s shoulder. 

“I told him that he wouldn’t be able to deny me in heat and that we can make more children if he wont bring me the ones we already have,” he admits quietly, the sound muffled by Qui-Gon’s robes. 

_“What?”_ Qui-Gon asks and Anakin wants to sob. 

“I said-“

“No, Anakin, I heard you. I just can’t believe you said it in the first place,” his pseudo father scolds and Anakin feels the shame and embarrassment increase. His rage flares and he petulantly decides he doesn’t need Qui-Gon defending Obi-Wan. 

“ _Don’t, Qui-Gon._ If Obi-Wan wants to hide my children from me I can say what I want,” he snarls, ripping himself away from his master, going over to the wall to hang up his training gear and ignore any further attempt at comfort. 

He knows he’s wrong, he doesn’t need to be reminded of it. 

“Anakin, you know I’m on your side, but if you and Obi-Wan are ever going to move on you can’t threaten-“

“My side, Qui-Gon? You knew about my kids and said nothing! _Nothing!_ It seems that the only one on my side is myself. As usual, and what I do and how I treat my mate is my business. Nobody else’s,” he forces out between clenched teeth before fleeing. He needs to be alone.

Qui-Gon is alone in the room, left in the dust to think about how wrong this situation is. He sees motion in the viewing deck from his peripheral, but when he finally makes to look up, there is no one there. 

He writes it off, thinking his stress is getting to him and makes his way back to his quarters. He’s in desperate need of a deep meditation. 

 

 

 

 

Obi-Wan pulls against the chains, knowing from routine that Anakin won’t be home for another couple of hours, busy down below doing his Master’s bidding. 

He fiddles with his robes, knowing that boredom is in his future for the time being. 

A noise catches his attention. The ship has been boarded, of that he is sure, and there are footsteps making their way towards him. He can hear the familiar buzz of a lightsaber in the distance, the shouts of staff that work outside of Anakin’s quarters as they realize their lives are ending. 

Obi-Wan wonders who it is that is coming to end his life, he thinks it might be Sidious himself, but he’s probably not that special. He hopes it’s Qui-Gon in a sick way, he can’t see Anakin, but he won’t be completely alone when he dies. 

He closes his eyes, letting his head fall back against the wall, and sends out love through his bonds with the twins and Ahsoka. 

_If I die here today, I love you more than I can even say._

He shuts down his bonds then, heavily shielding them in an attempt to keep his children from feeling his death in the force. He knows it may not work, they are immensely powerful, but he has to _try._

_Do or do not, there is no try,_ he can practically hear Yoda lecturing him and he chuckles softly, lightly banging his head against the wall a couple of times. After all of the stupid, impossible shit he’s miraculously survived, he can’t believe he’s going to go out chained to a wall, imprisoned by the one man he loved more than anything. 

The noises get closer and all of a sudden the door slams open. He wonders if he should even open his eyes to greet his murderer. 

_You are a Jedi, do not die a coward,_ a voice in his head hisses and he squeezes his eyes shut before opening them wide. In front of him is the last person he expected. 

_“Dooku?”_ He asks, shocked and the man holds a single finger up to his lips before he turns off his saber and hangs it on his hip. 

“Obi-Wan, you have to come with me now if you ever want to see your children again,” Dooku whispers, eyes darting over his shoulder. 

He’s nervous, Obi-Wan realizes, nervous for Anakin to come find him here. 

It’s a wild leap of faith he never could’ve imagined himself taking, but he allows Dooku to unlock both his chains and his collar with the force, standing on weak legs to follow his fellow omega out. Dooku weakly clasps his hand, his own shaking slightly and leads him to where the escape pods are. He’s rushing, not taking time to explain, but Obi-Wan thinks he’s beginning to understand. 

They had always had a decent relationship when they were both Jedi before Dooku left to form the Separatists and Dooku had always been fond of him even then, offering Obi-Wan multiple opportunities to join him. 

It occurs to him that he may owe Dooku his life for more than one occasion. 

The older man shoves him in a pod, Obi-Wan stumbling into a chair and looking up at him with round eyes. 

“Take the pod to any planet nearby and dump it. Then, take another ship, the first one you can find and go to somewhere safe before you contact Ahsoka,” Dooku orders and Obi-Wan can only dumbly nod.

“Will you be okay?” He asks when Dooku makes to leave, somehow needing to know his savior won’t die for this. 

All Dooku can do is give him a wry half smile and a shrug, moving backwards. 

“Go find your kids and your friends,” Dooku says and steps back, slamming the button to jettison the pod. 

Obi-Wan spirals out into space, leaving Anakin once again thinking only one thing,

_Thank you._


	11. disappear when you come back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the conflict begins

The thing about it is, Obi-Wan isn’t sure why Dooku saved him. On the ship, in the heat of the moment, he had convinced himself that it was okay, that it made sense, but it didn’t.

The pod crashed a day back on the barely populated moon of Endor, tree canopies all he could see for miles. In the end, he had to call in a favor to get off planet. 

_“Hello?”_ Her crisp voice had answered, annoyed as always. 

“I need your help,” he had pleaded with the sith assassin turned bounty hunter turned rebel. She had come and now they were waiting on Nal Hutta, The crime and villainy around them doesn’t worry him as much as it used to. He can handle himself and Asajj can handle everyone here in under a minute, of that he is certain. He hadn’t wanted to put her in danger, but it was a necessity.

“So, the man just… _rescued_ you? Risked his whole ass life just to free you from your mate? Sounds fake,” she says and her tone is void of any inflection, but it makes him laugh anyway. They’re sitting on crates, enjoying some fruity beverage from a local cantina Asajj loves. 

“He did, Asajj, I don’t know what to tell you,” he chuckles and the woman scowls slightly. 

“So, will tall dark and shitty kill him now or…?” She asks and Obi-Wan laughs again, knowing she is referring to his husband. 

“Can he? Are there Sith laws against that?” He wonders and the woman just sends him an unimpressed look. The truth is, he fears the repercussions that face Dooku when it comes to Anakin’s reactions, but voicing that in front of his friend wouldn’t be fair. 

Dooku may have done a kind thing for Obi-Wan, but he remains a terrible person, and the way he treated Asajj is inexcusable. 

His friend shoves a bit, startling him and spilling a bit of his drink into his lap while she laughs. He groans. 

“So that’s it then?” She asks when she stops laughing, bringing the edge of one her gloved hands up to wipe the tears from her eyes, a bright grin on her face. Her hair has grown, coming just past her chin and she looks completely different than the person he used to face on the battle field. 

They both must. 

“Definitely not,” he scoffs, taking his turn to shove her, “my husband will not rest until he has me under his thumb permanently.” She frowns again, clearly upset by that. 

“What I wouldn’t give to punch Skywalker in the balls just once,” she growls, but she isn’t suicidal and punching Darth Vader himself is something few if anyone could survive.

Still, her desire warms his heart. She cares for him, she has found peace in a life away from evil. He places a comforting hand on her shoulder, knowing he has another favor to ask before Ahsoka arrives with a ship to bring him home once again.

“Did Ahsoka give you an ETA?” He asks and Asajj looks at him somewhat guiltily. 

“I actually found you a ship here to take and told Missy to stay home with your spawn,” she says and her tone is apologetic to him. Her relationship with Ahsoka developed in Ahsoka’s time away from the Jedi before Order 66 and Obi-Wan doesn’t know the full story, but they’ve never decided to tell him so he always leaves it alone. If Asajj and Ahsoka found some sort of peace together, it is no business of his. 

“Well, that’s perfectly fine, why didn’t you say so?” He asks and the woman shrugs. 

“I’ve missed you, Kenobi,” she says and he wraps an affectionate arm around her shoulders, quoting a moment from their past together.

“When did you become the good guy?” He asks and she laughs loudly, startling the other passing people on the street. 

“Don’t insult me,” she giggles, wagging a finger in his face. They settle once more, sipping from their drinks and as much as it pains him, he will have to depart soon. The force is uneasy, shaking around him in small rippled tremors. Eventually, he feels her end their pleasant silence by placing something in his hand. 

A curved hilt rests there, heavy and implicating. He knows these hilts aren’t the ones he used to fight against, but it still feels weird all these years later. 

“I want that back,” she teases, but he knows she’s not completely kidding. A lightsaber is part of it’s owner, this is a gift he never would’ve expected. 

“That’s fine, red’s not my color,” he says with a small smile and she rolls her eyes, standing and offering him a hand. 

"They're green," she says with a small smile and Obi-Wan knows its a homage to Quinlan. They walk to the ship she acquired for him and he knows he has to ask before he goes. 

“Asajj, you have helped me and my family more than I can count over the years since the Republic’s fall and for that, I am _immensely_ grateful. I want to ask you-and I know it’s not fair, that if all else fails and I end up stuck, that you’ll look out for them for me.” The woman pauses, a smile falling into a frown before she brings him into a hug.

“We won’t let that happen,” she says and they both know the promise is empty, that they can’t control this anymore then they can stop the twin suns on Tatooine from setting, “but I will _always_ look out for them.” He hugs her tighter for a moment before detaching and starting up the ramp. He looks back one last time, giving the woman a half-wave.

“Goodbye, Old Friend, may the force be with you,” he wishes her and she salutes him in return. 

“Ditto,” she says and he walks into the ship, turning it on and flying out of the atmosphere. 

He makes it as far as the edge of the system, punching in the coordinates for home, when the sky seems to fall and his body seems to collapse on itself. 

_My neck is on fire_ , he thinks and his hand desperately smacks at it, hoping to put out the flames, but he realizes after a minute of immense pain that it’s his bond that is on fire, not his body. 

_Anakin?_ He asks out and receives no response from his mate, only intense, _unrelenting_ pain. 

Without a second thought as to what this might mean for his future, he erases the coordinates and sets them for Coruscant. 

Evil or not, that’s his Anakin in pain. He has to help him. 

 

 

 

 

Dooku watches Obi-Wan spiral out his vision in the pod, knowing he has done the right thing for once. Since he left the Jedi, his path has been one of wrong turn after wrong turn, always choosing his mate and the darkness over his morals and his ideals. 

The death of the Jedi had been a long time coming, something he almost agreed with his mate on, but they hadn’t needed to commit genocide. 

Long ago, a small green creature had raised him into the man he is, had cared for him while he was sick, and had taught him only the best. Yoda had loved him, maybe even loves him still in a sad, crushing way. The way parents care for their children even when they know they are terrible people. 

Yoda had been his father, his _friend_ , and because his mate is a Sith Lord, he had lost the only family he had ever had besides Qui-Gon and unfortunately, Skywalker himself. When he had heard the conversation between Qui-Gon and Anakin in the training areas he had felt his heart stop. 

_Obi-Wan_ , his heart had cried, _you have to save Obi-Wan._

His pseudo-grandson meant the world to him once upon a time. He had been a strong, intelligent, well-spoken boy who just so happened to also be an omega. Dooku loves him, loves that he isn’t weak by designation, loves that he always defies expectation. 

Since Skywalker joined the Sith, his fond weakness for Obi-Wan has only grown into the monster it is today. 

So now, he waits. He waits because death is approaching him in the form of the boy who was never good enough for Obi-Wan. The Chosen One, a title the boy himself always resented, is coming to begin balancing the force, as he should have in the first place. 

He wishes he could say goodbye to Sheev, his beloved, but there isn’t time and he can’t doom Obi-Wan with such selfishness, he has been too selfish in his life. It is a wrong he hopes this may correct. 

And so, his grandson flies away to safety from his husband for another day and Dooku prays to the force that he remains in that safety, that he ignores the siren call of Vader’s pain when Sidious punishes him for what Dooku knows without a doubt is coming. 

He won’t ever leave this ship again, won’t see the beautiful landscape of Serenno, won’t grace his people with a final goodbye, things he had always thought were his by right. 

The only thing left for him to do is to make things right, and the force screams that Obi-Wan is one of the only people left who can do such a thing. Dying for that, in the end, seems more than worth it. 

The Sith have never been home for him, they have been a step, a place to get higher power. He had been a greedy boy that fell in love with an even greedier senator and he had payed the price too many times. 

He opens his ancient bond with his master and sends an apology his way, knowing that he should grant the troll that at least before he feels Dooku pass. The dark is receding from his vision, the stars outside casting their eery glows on his face. Blood splatters the walls behind him, the staff guarding his grandson from his freedom slaughtered. 

He wipes some of the splatter off of his face with his sleeve, his gold eyes finally fading to blue in his reflection for the first time in years. His soul is poisoned, but he’s helped. 

His time has come. 

_My son_ , he sends along his bond to Qui-Gon, _forgive me for dragging you to hell with me. Forgive me for poisoning you._ Qui-Gon startles on the other end, demands to know what’s going on before Dooku slams their bond closed and stands in complete silence once again. 

So now he waits, he watches the stars, the ships entering and exiting the center of his Empire, the power he had accumulated. 

_Sheev, it isn’t too late, my love. Save your soul, Darling, save your soul for me,_ he pleads to the force, knowing Sheev can’t hear him, but hoping someday he knows that Dooku did love him, has loved him since they were in their mid-twenties, and he has never stopped. 

Jedi and Sith, Sith and Sith, Emperor and Emperor’s consort, he has loved him through it all. When he had found an alpha who set his soul on fire, he had abandoned his morals for it. 

Obi-Wan _hadn’t._

He owed the boy for reminding him that the right choice is often much more painful. 

Now his debt is payed and he can die. 

He feels Vader’s anger more and more as the man approaches the ship, obviously having felt his mate leave the system. 

_Be strong, Obi-Wan,_ he wishes to the boy he can no longer sense in the force and braces himself as Vader’s shuttle enters the hangar. The darkness that had retreated comes roaring back, stealing the brief light Dooku had felt in the force for the first time in so long. He nearly cries, but he is grateful. 

At least he felt the light one last time before the end came for him. 

The door to the corridor falls, revealing a heaving, snarling Vader, his eyes a sick yellow and rage coating his entire presence in the force. His blade is already ignited, blood red at the boy's side.

Dooku pities him, has always pitied him, ever since he was a slave that had been given a chance he hadn’t earned. 

Dooku turns to face him slowly, a manic smile on his face as he raises his arms, holding them out in a mockery of a welcoming gesture. 

“Welcome, do you like what I’ve done with the place?” 

_Finally. Freedom._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and I'm sorry to everyone who was beginning to like Dooku. I loved writing him this way, but his usefulness has come to an end. thank you for reading, let me know what you think of the chapter!


	12. no reasons why

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I have aways loved you, Obi-Wan. I always will._
> 
> His eyes slip closed.

_“Obi-Wan, you’ve come out of hyper space too soon, you’re not in the right system,”_ Ahsoka’s voice crackles over the comm and Obi-Wan breathes in slowly, knowing he can either lie or tell the truth and risk her coming for him. 

Which cannot be an option. No matter what. 

“I know, Ahsoka,” he says and he doesn’t elaborate. She felt him too, felt his pain from across the stars, he’s sure of it. 

_“Obi-Wan-“_ She cuts herself off and he can hear the hitch of a sob on the other end. He presses his palms to his eyes, feeling the tears leak around them, through them, down the soft planes of his cheeks. 

“Ahsoka, it’s him. He’s still him, no matter what he’s done… I _can’t_ leave him,” he pauses and looks to where the coordinates are still set for Coruscant. He knows he should go into lightspeed, but he can’t, not without saying goodbye. 

_“I know,”_ she says and he hears her defeat in the tone of her voice, _“I know you can’t.”_ Silence hangs between them for a few moments. 

_“You love him,”_ she says as if she can’t believe it, as if after all this time Obi-Wan should know better. 

He should. He does. But he loves him regardless, loves him anyway. He doesn’t expect her to understand. 

“I’m sorry,” he breathes, leaning down to press his forehead into the console, “tell them if I don’t come back that-“

_“Don’t talk like tha-“_

“Ahsoka! If I don’t come back, if I die or if he takes me, tell them I’m sorry,” he spits it out like it’s venom on his tongue, like it’ll kill him if he doesn’t. 

_“Your kids need you!”_ It’s a low blow and the tears increase, his pain radiating out into the force to join his husband’s. He breathes in and sits up, wiping the tears from his face. 

“My children need a universe their father didn’t destroy and if I don’t go right now… If I don’t do what I can to end this, then they will never have that,” he says and then falls silent, waiting for Ahsoka to say something, anything. 

For his mental sake and hers, they cannot part like this.

“Tell them,” he continues when she says nothing, “Tell them that they have to be strong, that I love them and wouldn’t want them to be sad. Tell them to give this universe hell, as much hell as they deem fit, but to stay good. All I want is for them to be happy.” He’s crying at this point and she is still far too quiet. 

“Tell them I love them and I always will. All of them.” He finally finishes and prepares to enter lightspeed, flipping switches and pushing necessary buttons. 

_“Obi-Wan,”_ she says after what feels like an eternity and her voice is thick with tears, with emotion so strong Obi-Wan wishes he could just hold her and forget all of their troubles, _“May the force be with you always.”_

He smiles finally, a lone candle in the grief that encompasses him and his ship. 

“I love you too,” he answers, and slams the button that will take him to an ending, one way or another. 

It’s a short journey back to Coruscant, which is good…

The force is telling him he can’t make Anakin wait for long. 

 

 

 

 

Anakin runs his saber through Dooku four times. Once to kill him, the other three because he is so enraged that common sense evades him completely. He feels the howling in the force as soon as he does, slamming his bond shut with both Qui-Gon and Sidious. He knows they will be angry with him for this. 

He knows that ready or not, he will face Sidious today and only one will survive.

_Come on, Chosen One, it has to be you. You have things to do, mates to love, children to meet. His is already dead._

_By your hand_ , a voice that sounds like Obi-Wan’s says in his head and he shakes it off. He can’t feel guilt for killing Dooku, the man had allowed his mate to go free. As an alpha and a Sith Lord, he was well within his rights to end the old insufferable man’s life. 

But maybe he isn’t within the rights of an apprentice whose master is going to be very, extremely, extraordinarily pissed when he finds out Vader offed Tyranus. 

He’s _fucked._

His comm rings and he sighs, knowing before he answers who’s on the other line. 

_“Anakin, what have you done?”_ Qui-Gon’s voice is thunderous on the other end. Anakin brings a hand up to knead his forehead. This, what he’s just done, he can’t yet bring himself to regret it, but he knows he will soon. 

“He stole him from me again, Qui-Gon. I was so close to having Obi-Wan and he just slaughtered my crew and set him free. Where was his right in that?” He hears Qui-Gon hesitate, hears the man scrub his face free of tears. 

_Weak._ Qui-Gon will always be weak. 

_“He loved Obi-Wan, Anakin. He would’ve done it only if he thought it was the right thing to do,”_ he eventually says, a hitch in his voice every now and then. The scent of blood is overwhelming in Anakin’s senses and he kneels next to Dooku, using two fingers to close the man’s sick grinning eyes. He had waited for Anakin, he had known what was about to happen…

The man had waited for his executioner quite clearly. 

_Why, Dooku? Did you really hate me so much?_

“Right thing to do,” Anakin scoffs, insanity and anger still fresh on his tongue, “We’re Sith! We slaughtered hundreds of Jedi, we’ve destroyed numerous planets and enslaved cultures, but this- This, my happiness is too far.” He feels Qui-Gon recoil in the force, feels their bond close slightly and he rips their connection wide open. 

_Don’t you leave me. Not you too._

He sounds like a child, but he can’t help it. Qui-Gon can’t leave him, not now, not when he’s about to face the worst fight of his life and he doesn’t have Obi-Wan by his side. He feels as though he’s going mad, as though his universe is caving in around him. 

“Anakin, please, be rational!” Qui-Gon’s calm and serenity are trying to flood his surroundings, but he won’t let them. He can’t. He takes a deep breath, turning to face the viewport and all he sees are violent yellow orbs where his eyes used to be. 

 

 

_“Anakin, you’re breaking my heart! You’re going down a path I can’t follow,” Obi-Wan’s eyes are full of unshed tears, the lightsaber hanging at his waist making Anakin smile and to Obi-Wan all it looks like is a deranged attempt at kindness. At love._

_Anakin places his hands on Obi-Wan’s shoulders, but Obi-Wan wrenches out of his grip, staggering backwards across the hot steaming stone of the planet’s surface. In his view, Anakin’s eyes harden and his posture goes stiff._

_“You will listen to me, Obi-Wan. This is our future!” He says as he marches forward, pulling his mate up towards his face, applying just enough of a choke hold to make breathing uncomfortable for his Jedi Mate._

_Obi-Wan’s eyes are wide, pleading, meeting his gaze head on with desperate need._

_“I can’t breathe,” Obi-Wan rasps, his voice raw and wrecked, and Anakin releases him, his mate falling back on the ground, arms wrapping around his midsection protectively._

_“I’ve brought peace to the galaxy. I’m more powerful than Sidious, I-I can overthrow him! You and I will rule the galaxy, make things the way we want them to be!” Obi-Wan scrambles to his feet as Anakin advances on him._

_“I don’t know you anymore,” Obi-Wan says as Anakin presses his face into his mate’s neck, licking over their bond mark. Obi-Wan shivers, inhaling the scent of his alpha for just a moment._

_And then Anakin is missing a hand and is being shoved off a cliff, he can hear the sound of Obi-Wan running away as he hangs there._

_When he pulled himself up, his mate was pulling his ship up into the atmosphere of Mustafar._

 

 

He wonders now if this is what Obi-Wan saw that night on Mustafar. If this raging, insane, burning version of his mate scared him enough that he ran. 

But no, Obi-Wan fears nothing. He wouldn’t have left Anakin out of fear, but out of duty. A duty to the unborn babies in his womb. For a moment, Anakin hates his own children, hates that Obi-Wan decided they were more important than Anakin. 

And then he hates himself even more, the darkness raging around him with no end in sight. 

He sighs, “How long do I have?” He asks and he can hear Qui-Gon inhale to answer, but suddenly the comm flies out of his hand and slams against the wall. He hears the crack, but the force begins to roar in his ears, the dark side howling at it’s Master’s pain and suffering.

There, in the middle of the entryway, is a blackhole of anger. A man draped in billows of pure onyx except for two sickly sulfuric yellow orbs where his eyes should be. Anakin feels himself freeze in fear for a moment, but he forces it into power, allowing himself to pull his blade from his belt and stand over Dooku’s body. 

Sidious lowers his hood, the man’s wrinkly, disgusting skin almost stark white in the fluorescent lighting of Anakin’s ship. His eyes are practically fire, bright and gleaming even under such light and he looks like he crawled out of hell. He looks like evil incarnate. He raises his hands, the lights shattering, leaving them in pitch blackness except for the starlight.

The emergency lighting comes on. The light a dull yellow and his master ignites his blades, two long streaks of red against the bleakness. Anakin knows he has made a mistake, that he has given up all advantages by dragging this fight into a ship. 

Sidious raises one bony, almost rotten looking finger, his blade angled to the side, and beckons Anakin forward. 

“You don’t have to do this!” Anakin shouts, even as he sinks into the lowest point of himself. If he is to win, he must be Darth Vader through and through. Sidious cackles, long and cruel, before walking in a slow arc around Vader. 

“I am going to _kill you_ , Vader. Then, I am going to kill your mate and your cubs, and you won’t be able to stop me. Then, I will burn your legacy and your friends, starting with Mortem and ending with that Senator you always liked.” Anakin forces himself to stay calm, to keep his mind open, but he never really has seen Sidious in his full force and he’s surprised when the man charges at him lightning quick. 

He just manages to bring his blade up and stop Sidious from slicing his head in half. Anakin uses his mechanical hand to grab the hilt of the second lightsaber, using the artificial strength to bend the top of the hilt, forcing it off. 

Sidious snarls, releasing the blade and curving out of Vader’s grip, moving out so they’re circling each other. With the playing field more level, Vader’s confidence goes up. He spins, striking at his master with renewed vigor. Unlike Sidious, he has something to fight for, and it’ll be his Master’s mistake; reminding Anakin that he has a family to win back, to force to his side. 

The fight continues for sometime, but eventually, Vader remembers how Obi-Wan’s dumbass used to win fights that looked bleak. 

Make a mistake. _On purpose._

Vader breathes, time seeming to slow down as Vader puts his midsection at risk, knowing Sidious will strike at it. The other man’s red blade curves across the surface of Vader’s abdomen, not too deep of a cut, but still fatal if left alone for too long. 

Vader realizes Sidious means for him to bleed out alone as he drives his saber through the man’s disgusting skull, all the way to the hilt. 

As Sidious falls, Vader stumbles backwards, finding purchase on the viewport and sliding down, holding his stomach gingerly. He calls his comm to his hand and sends his location to Qui-Gon, hoping the man finds him on time. 

He laughs in the face of his dead Master, the dead Emperor, even as it hurts him. 

And as consciousness fades, he opens his mating bond as wide as he can, hoping that wherever he is, Obi-Wan will hear him. 

_I have aways loved you, Obi-Wan. I always will._

His eyes slip closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD!!! well, merry christmas and happy holidays to all! let me know what you thought of the new chapter and I hope everyone enjoyed! thank you for reading!


	13. nowhere to hide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> obi-wan does what he can.

_“Anakin!”_ Obi-Wan wrenches himself out of the ship, throwing the carnage of what used to be Anakin’s ship out of the way. There are bodies around him he didn’t notice when he had run to the escape pod the first time. The entire crew… _gone._ Murdered by the man who had saved him. 

It couldn’t have been Anakin, he had trusted all of the men on board, a lot of them 501st members on leave, so it was Dooku. It had to have been. 

So even in his redeeming moment, Dooku had still been self-serving. Figures. The man’s light had been gone for a long time. 

Still, he can’t waste time on this, on these dead men, his Anakin is alive somewhere on this ship. He runs through the corridor quickly, opening their bond to follow the trail to his location. He finds his mate slumped against the viewport, his blood pooling on the ground and his master’s body in the corner, clearly dead. 

The implications of such an action will have to wait. 

“Anakin? Anakin, can you hear me?” He asks and his mate groans, eyes blinking open blearily. They narrow and a shaky, bloody hand comes up to cup Obi-Wan’s face. It drags, blood streaking down the side of Obi-Wan’s cheek. 

“Are you an angel?” Anakin asks and his words are slurred, his breaths shaky. 

“No, Anakin, It’s me, Obi-Wan,” he says and he pulls his cloak off, moving to wrap Anakin’s midsection with it. He gingerly unwinds Anakin’s arms, examining the cut. It’s bad, really bad, but if Obi-wan can manage to slow the bleeding, he should be able to make a medcenter. He wraps the wound, the thick wool of the cloak slowing the bleeding a great deal. 

“Okay, Anakin, you have to stay awake and you have to stand up. Let’s go,” he says and he hauls his mate upwards, Anakin shooting upwards with a painful groan. He manages to get Anakin up, only for the man to fall onto one knee with a giggle. 

“Obi-Wan… Obi-Wan, you came back for me,” another giggle erupts from his corrupted mate. He’s slumping towards the ground, which isn’t good at all. Obi-Wan hasn’t been a Jedi in a couple of years, but he isn’t weak. He hauls Anakin up and continues back towards his ship, deciding that in Anakin’s state, it doesn’t matter if he answers or not. 

They stumble forward, but there is a man blocking their path. A familiar man. Someone who they both have loved very much. But right now, right in this moment, they’re enemies. 

“Obi-Wan, you came back… That means you,” his breath hitches in pain, “You _love_ me.” He hisses as Obi-Wan’s grip tightens, the blood loss making him slightly deluded and overly verbose. Obi-Wan makes constant eye contact with the man as he contemplates what to do. 

“And I love you so much, Obi. Please don’t leave me again. _Please-_ “

_“Anakin, hush!”_ Obi-Wan shouts and his alpha falls silent on his arm, pouting and moving to try and shove his face into the bond mark. Obi-Wan reaches with his hand to run his fingers through Anakin’s sweaty hair, trying to distract his mate and move him away so Obi-Wan can fight if necessary. 

“Unhand Lord Vader at once, Jedi,” Qui-Gon demands and Obi-Wan rolls his eyes, looking his former master up and down, knowing he’s screwed here. He needs to save Anakin’s life. 

“I don’t see any Jedi here, Master. Please, he is my mate, I _married_ him. I _need_ to save his life,” he pleads, hoping to appeal to Qui-Gon’s humanity however deeply buried it is. The man tilts his head condescendingly, a small smile on his lips. 

“There’s a medcenter on Coruscant in the Imperial Palace I will take him to while you rot in a glorified cell,” Qui-Gon hisses, his teeth baring just a little bit. Obi-Wan scoffs, shuffling Anakin on his arm just a bit and letting his anger be known. 

“The only reason we’re here is because _you_ planted the seeds of this idea in his head. You promised him a life where he could have me and our family and be free, but that isn’t reality. If anyone is to blame for this situation and Anakin’s injury it’s _you_ ,” he spits, eyes alight with a fire Qui-Gon has never seen before on Obi-Wan. 

“You’re far too arrogant in the face of your new Emperor,” he sneers and Obi-Wan nearly drops Anakin in shock, but he manages to keep both of them on their feet. His eyes must be bugging out of his head, but Qui-Gon just smirks. 

“Your pseudo-father is _dead._ Your master and emperor? _Dead._ Your son? Bleeding out in my arms. Just _move_ ,” Obi-Wan demands and Anakin giggles in his arms again, starting to drape dangerously as his consciousness starts to fade. 

“You don’t deserve-“

“Qui-Gon! For forcesake! I love him. He’s my mate. _Let me through!_ ” Still, Qui-Gon resists, a sneer pulling at his lip and Obi-Wan has had enough. He rips open his bond with his mate, taking as much power as he can from their combined bond and he shoves him all the way across the hangar. He hears the sickening crunch as Emperor Jinn’s backside collides with the durasteel. 

He pulls Anakin past, moving towards the ship when Qui-Gon calls out.

“If you leave, Obi-Wan, I will hunt you to the end of the galaxy and back.” Obi-Wan sighs, pulling Anakin up the ramp and depositing him in a seat gently. He pushes buttons to start the engine and prepare for takeoff and looks over at his mate before standing and making his way out of the ship again. 

Anakin, somehow, is beginning to heal and Obi-Wan has something to say. Qui-Gon is staggering upwards as Obi-Wan stalks out back down the ramp. 

“Hey! _Emperor Jinn!_ ” He calls out, his voice echoing around the hangar and the man’s head whips up, staring Obi-Wan directly in the eyes, his mouth opening to speak-

Obi-Wan lifts him up with the force, throwing him across the room into another wall. He follows Qui-Gon’s flailing body over to where it lands, bending down to yank the man up by his collar. 

“If he returns to you, that’s his choice, but come between us again and you will regret it,” he says, dropping Qui-Gon and allowing his former master’s head to rebound on the floor with a sharp crack. He walks back towards his ship, stopping to sneer over his shoulder at Emperor Jinn. 

“And if you _ever_ loved me at all, you will allow him that choice. Do not take him from me again.” His lip curls once before he permanently turning his back on his former master and marching back to his ship, sitting in the pilot seat next to Anakin and pulling up the ramp, pulling out of the hangar. 

He sets the coordinates for the place he gave birth to the twins, the most secluded medcenter he can think of, and sets off as soon as he can. The ship will arrive in six standard hours, so Obi-Wan has to make sure Anakin lives that long. He settles in to watch his mate, settles in to understand and to open his heart to whatever lies beyond Anakin’s wrecked shields. 

He settles into meditative stance, sitting in front of Anakin’s chair and entering a healing trance. The air around them lightens as they enter their bond willingly on both ends for the first time in years. 

He can feel… _Everything._ It is as if in their time apart, Anakin has only become more connected to the force. It is a familiar connection, and the wonder is as new now as it was when they first connected like this. On such a personal level. The cosmos seem so small when he views them like this. 

Anakin truly is special. 

But he has allowed himself to become a monster, a maniac, and a cruel man. 

_I should let him bleed out_ , Obi-Wan thinks, even as he heals his mate. 

_I should let him die so that the universe has one less Sith Lord in it._

_But it’s Anakin. Your boy. The man you married, the man who made you fall in love for once in your life._

Obi-Wan feels the tears slipping down his cheeks, even as he remains connected to his mate, even as he heals the worst of the damage within the injury. 

He isn’t sure how long it’s been, but it must be six hours, because the alarm is going off, alerting Obi-Wan that they’ve arrived in the system. He slowly rises, his bones cracking, and moves to sit in the pilots chair. He slowly descends towards the planet, reaching over to slap Anakin awake. 

The sound bounces around the small cabin of the craft, Anakin’s eyes opening with a pained groan. 

“Obi-Wan? Are you really here?” Anakin’s eyes have lost the haze that surrounded them above Coruscant. 

“Yes,” he mumbles, not knowing what to say now that they’re both coherent enough to have a conversation. Anakin’s eyes grow sharper, more trained at the confirmation, focusing on his mate with specific clarity. 

“Where are we?” Obi-Wan swallows, opening and closing his mouth, but he doesn’t know what to say. He was counting on Anakin not being in the right frame of mind for the rest of the trip until he could get him somewhere safe and secluded to heal. He keeps his eyes trained on the console, looking desperately for the words that just won’t escape his tongue. 

“Obi-Wan… _Where are we?_ ” Anakin growls it, his alpha voice coming through just a bit and Obi-Wan resists the urge to cower in his presence. He has come too far.

“We’re where I gave birth to our children,” he says simply, raising his eyes to meet his mate’s and quirking an eyebrow, “It’s the most secluded place I know that can help you.” Anakin’s eyebrows furrow and he crosses his arm, his face pulling into a pout before his arms throw themselves outward, his face cringing in pain. 

“You brought me to the place… Where our children were born. A secluded place… To keep them from me?” The last part is phrased as a question, but it is clear Anakin is just brooding that Obi-Wan would bring him here in the first place. 

_I’m just trying to keep you alive, you arrogant jerk._

“Sure did. Here let me help you up,” he grasps Anakin by the underarms, helping the man stand, trying his best not to pull the wound on his stomach any more than he has to. Anakin hisses as he stands, but they make their way out of the ship slowly, a bunch of medics making their way over to them and taking his mate off of his hands. 

He watches Anakin be taken into the facility, following behind at a much slower pace. The inside is just as white as he remembers and he supposes that it looks familiar, but the last time he was here, the world was spinning with his disorientation and grief, added onto the pain of labor. 

He walks into a different wing of the building, right into where he knows he spent the majority of his time here. The walls are white, the rooms sterile, but he remembers the babies, remembers Padmé grasping his hands as hard as she could, supporting him as he went through the births without Anakin by his side. 

The last time he had been here, he had abandoned Anakin on Mustafar months earlier, fleeing the planet and meeting up with Padmé to be on the run. 

 

 

_“It’s a boy,” the strange droid says above him and he groans, opening his bleary eyes to see the baby he just brought into a world no longer full of love and peace for him. A world where his parents would be divided._

_“Luke,” he gasps and the droid hands Luke to Padmé, the woman taking his son and cooing down into his sweet little face._

_Soon, the pain starts again and it doesn’t stop, the second twin forcing itself into the world._

_The droid warbles something again, but Obi-Wan is too exhausted to translate it in his head. Luckily, Padmé is also very knowledgable when it comes to languages._

_“It’s a girl she says and Obi-Wan laughs, amazed that he was able to give birth to twins in a universe where he wasn’t even enough for his mate._

_I will be enough for you, he promises to the little bundles, his consciousness fading. His breathing slows and in the background he hears systems alarm, the room going into a panic._

_All he feels is calm._

_“What’s happening? What’s wrong with him?” He hears Padmé yelling, hears the droid warbling out an explanation about male pregnancies having a higher risk for heart failure._

_He reaches out blindly until he makes contact with Pamdé’s body, her hand finding his, their fingers winding together._

_“Padmé… There’s good in him. I know there is still…” He says and the lights fade to black._

 

 

That’s really the last of his memories on this small asteroid; giving birth and almost dying. 

It’s the memories, the pain of them, that reveal where he must take Anakin to heal. Obi-Wan smiles, crying just a bit as he stares at the bed where his life was given new meaning in the form of his babies. 

He must take Anakin to the place where they were conceived, the place where they were once happy. 

It’s his only hope in possibly saving the man he loves. 

_Varykino._

He must take Anakin back to Naboo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! happy new year to all!


	14. just you and me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the aftermath

Anakin blinks, his vision blurry, but he sees bright, vibrant color. Something that is so very uncommon within his empire. When it clears, he realizes he’s on some sort of medical bed, the machines beeping around him and tubes sticking out of his arm. He gently pulls them out, feeling the new skin on his abdomen. He groans, hands flitting to feel at the newly healed skin. The wound must of been deep, the scar a long stripe across his stomach. 

_What happened? Why is he on… Varykino?_

He stands, making his way across the tiled floor, realizing he’s only really wearing sleep pants. His chest is bare, a necessity for healing, and his feet are nude as well. He hasn’t been this bare out of his quarters in years. It is unfitting for an Imperial of his level. 

But this is Varykino. The place where he married his mate, where his children were more than likely conceived. It is special, a place he holds in his heart with reverence. The tile under his feet is chilly and he moves delicately, knowing that even as he’s been healed, he could open whatever internal injuries he may have received. 

_I killed Sidious… My Master…_

His hand instinctively goes to his comm to call Qui-Gon, but it isn’t there. That isn’t there and both his and Obi-Wan’s sabers are missing. He growls low in his throat, reaching out with the force to see if he’s in any immediate danger. 

The only presence he feels is his mate’s, but that doesn’t really mean anything anymore. 

There was a time when Anakin would’ve run to Obi-Wan, would’ve kissed all of his doubts and fears away, but that time is not the present. 

In the present, his mate is a Jedi. A well-trained, highly force-attuned Jedi, currently possessing both of their sabers. 

Still, he has little choice but to make his way towards where he can feel Obi-Wan in the house. When he finds him, Obi-Wan is meditating out on the lawn, his face serene and posture lax. This is familiar to Anakin, even if he hasn’t really seen it in a long while. He can imagine Obi-Wan teaching his children how to meditate, sitting out on the green ground of whatever planet they’ve been hiding on all this time, murmuring to two young, faceless children about the wonders of the force. 

In another life, he’d have helped. But not this one. In this one, his mate was a Jedi, and he was a Sith, and their kids had been hidden from him for far too long. He considers attacking, sinking his teeth into Obi-Wan so deeply, he has no choice but to obey Anakin’s will. 

But he can’t. 

He _hates it._

This weakness that is his beloved Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

And yet, he loves him too. Just as much.

He takes a step towards his mate, alerting the man to his presence. Obi-Wan’s force presence brightens and Anakin can feel his eyes open, feels his muscles flex, a stretch after sitting in one position for so long. He turns his beautiful blue eyes towards Anakin, his small smile the most beautiful thing Anakin has ever seen. The foliage behind his mate is gorgeous, but Anakin is stopped, he can’t move. 

He can’t do anything but look at his mate in wonder. 

Even the force seems to shine around him. The light side singing for it’s favorite child. 

He had always wondered why Yoda approved of their coupling when it happened. He knew now that the old bastard had hoped Obi-Wan would keep the Chosen One rooted to the light for the rest of his existence. 

A shame Anakin doesn’t know where the creature has hidden, he has imagined killing him too many times to count. 

“Good morning,” Obi-Wan mumbles, sweeping past Anakin, walking into the house and towards the kitchen. Anakin blinks, moving after him, making sure to be gentle. Obi-Wan is pouring himself tea when he finally reaches him again. 

“How was your rest?” His mate asks and Anakin grunts, slipping onto a stool near the countertop. Obi-Wan slides the cup his way and Anakin is surprised that it is in fact not tea in the cup, but caff. He inhales the delicious scent gratefully, smiling into his cup. Obi-Wan had made him caff despite hating the bitter liquid himself. 

Anakin watches Obi-Wan grab the kettle on the stove, pouring himself the tea he loves so much. The movements bring him back to the happier days of their marriage, and a deep ache resonates from far within his bones, an ache reaching to his heart itself. 

“Good,” he finally says, watching the corners of Obi-Wan’s mouth twitch, his mate barely managing to hide a fond grin. This whole charade feels like heaven, like their lives before Order 66, but he knows it isn’t real. 

Anakin killed the Emperor and the Emperor’s Mate. He is the most powerful Sith Lord in the galaxy, his powers surpassing Qui-Gon’s easily. So why is here playing _house_ with his mate? Why is he not _Emperor?_ Obi-Wan must see the questions in his mind, because he sighs, turning and leaving the kitchen. Anakin watches him go, knowing he will have to keep him in one place long enough to get answers out of him. He sits for a few minutes, brooding at the counter. 

Obi-Wan had saved him, had come back even when Anakin’s death would’ve meant so much to the Jedi and the Rebellion Anakin knew his mate was somehow involved in. Obi-Wan brought him to where their twins had been born. 

_Luke and Leia Skywalker._ What beautiful names. Obi-Wan chose well, even if they were names they had discussed and both liked at one point during his pregnancy. 

He walks with purpose this time, needing answers more than he cares about not tearing himself open. If he does, Obi-Wan will just patch him up again. He finds a room, fully cleaned and stocked, the one they shared during their time on planet. On the desk is a note that reads:

 

_Vader,_

_I hope you don’t mind that I gave you this room, it seems I cannot bring myself to stay in here for more than a minute. There are clothes and the kitchen is fully stocked. I have departed for the day, I have errands to run. I’m sure you can entertain yourself somehow._

_Obi-Wan_

 

Vader’s eyes narrow as he reads the note, dropping it and hurrying to the garage. There is a ship he could take back to Coruscant, but he finds he can’t leave without his mate. The omega will come, he only has to be patient. Only has to wait for an opportunity to knock him out. 

He walks back to their room, the one that will always be their room, and sits on the bed. He can entertain himself for now, it won’t be long until he has Obi-Wan in here with him again. 

Still, the fact that his mate addressed him as Vader churns something ugly in his gut, behind the scar Sidious carved into him. 

 

 

 

 

Padmé chases after Leia, screeching for the girl to stop. She, somehow, has gotten her hands on the darksaber, and is insistent on using it similarly to how one would use a magic wand. 

“Luke, look! Luke, Luke, Luke,” the toddler babbles happily, chasing her brother who is apparently smart enough to run away screaming. Satine erupts from the bedroom, her hair in disarray, and takes off after the twins, somehow much faster than Padmé. 

She sprints in between them, snatching the hilt of the darksaber from Leia and powering it down. She stops, putting her hands on her waist and huffs, knowing when she turns, she will be dealing with a very put out little girl. She breathes in and turns, finding Leia glaring at her from across the room. The little girl sticks out her tongue, blowing a nasty raspberry her way. 

_“Leia,”_ Padmé scolds and Leia crumbles, curling in on herself. The twins were very in tune with their father and since he shielded himself from them, they have become more and more insolent. Satine kneels before Leia and clasps her face between her hands, wiping the child’s fresh tears with her thumbs. 

“Little Leia, you need not worry. You are a warrior, your heart a fire, and you are this because your father is the same way. He will come back and you will see him again,” she promises, hoping against fate itself that she is right. 

The force had damned Obi-Wan Kenobi, giving him a mate with a heart of pure ash where Obi-Wan’s burned with righteous morality. With _love._ Anakin Skywalker has never understood the creature his mate is within his smaller frame. He may be an omega, but Obi-Wan is a warrior, through and through, he will never give up on the fight. 

Even when Obi-Wan turned away from his mate, the person he chose to tie himself to forever, Skywalker remained blind. He refused to see that flame, the same way Qui-Gon Jinn refused to see it. She mourns Mace Windu for a moment, mourns the man who instilled Obi-Wan’s abilities over time, who built belief in him when Qui-Gon became too distracted to. 

“But I want Daddy _now!_ ” She wails, her brother coming over to wrap his hands around her waist and putting his chin on her shoulder. Leia turns, wrapping herself around her twin and Satine smiles at the action. At least, no matter what, Luke and Leia will always have each other. 

“I know you do, Sweet One,” she coos, moving away from the twins when Leia reaches out, grabbing her hand. She smiles down at the girl, pulling her and her brother along, Padmé following. They find the TV, Satine grabbing blankets from a basket and creating a nest of sorts on the couch. 

“Can we watch a movie?” Leia asks, sniffling still and Satine nods, smiling. She puts on the one with singing ewoks Luke and Leia love so much and settles on the couch, sharing an exasperated look with Padmé. 

Hours later, Ahsoka walks in, finding both the twins and Padmé out cold, Satine barely keeping her eyes open as she watches the horrible movie for the ten-thousandth time. 

“What’d I miss?” She asks, an amused eyebrow raising and Satine stands, making her way to her room. 

“Your turn!” She calls behind her, knowing it’s just a matter of time before the terrible twosome wake and demand dinner. She crawls into her bed, promptly passing out. 

 

 

 

 

Anakin smirks, watching his mate in the lake from his shady place on the balcony. It’s been two days since he awoke here, knowing Qui-Gon must be worried sick. He wonders if he should tempt fate and contact Qui-Gon now, but decides against it. Soon, he will have Obi-Wan and will return to take his rightful place on the throne.

For now, he watches his mate with rapt fascination. He has noticed the way Obi-Wan has aged, but it’s not visible in his body whatsoever. The man is so stunningly beautiful, the water reflecting the sun cannot even compete with the sheer radiance of his mate. 

For now, he plans. He has handled this all wrong. He needs to sow the gentle creature he loves care and attention. His brute attempts have been too angry, too forceful. 

For Obi-Wan, he must reconstruct the Anakin Skywalker mask, the Jedi who only wanted to love his mate and be happy. If he does, he may be able to trick his love into revealing his children to him. 

If he does that, he may be able to bring one of them to the dark side. It would be poetic, him and his daughter emerged in the dark while Obi-Wan and their son stay in the light. They could finally bring the balance to the force that he was always meant to bring. 

Ah yes, he can see it now, the way people will bow and worship the physical representation of the halves of the force. No more Sith, no more Jedi, just balance. They could rebuild the palace and make it their home, a place where Skywalkers throughout history will thrive and rule. 

Yes, he can see it… Now he just needs to make it happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and another chapter is up! sorry it took so long!


	15. all the times i let you in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He thought the hardest part of their separation would be the heart-broken beginning, but it is most definitely the distance between them now.

Obi-Wan is genuinely surprised how well his “vacation” with Anakin is going. He finds the man to be far closer to the one he married than any of the other people he’s met over the years. Anyone else who has been inhabiting his husband this too long time. They share breakfast and dinner each day, Obi-Wan always slipping away to do errands, meditate, or talk with his babies in a location far from where Anakin can hear. 

The man’s eyes are still gold though, a haunting reminder of the fact that he is not safe here, no matter how much complacency Anakin is luring him into. They have not yet shared a bed, but that decision is taxing, the consequences growing between them with each passing day. His bond mark itches with the want to consummate the love they began so long ago. 

It is annoying, but he can live with it. 

Sleeping with a Sith Lord would resolutely be very dumb of him. Even if that Sith Lord is Anakin Skywalker, the man Obi-Wan would give anything to have in his arms again, laughing about something Padmé said at dinner or yelling over Mace Windu’s council decisions he couldn’t stand. 

He thought the hardest part of their separation would be the heart-broken beginning, but it is most definitely the distance between them now. The way they dance around each other, the way they fundamentally no longer know each other and yet do all the same. He hasn’t yet asked Anakin to come home with him, to abandon the dark, but he’s working his way up to it. 

They’ve been at Varykino for a week, the Nabooian atmosphere lulling him into a sense of comfort and even maybe joy. Anakin laughs at his jokes some days, watches his ass as he leaves, makes him tea if he’s feeling kind, and hasn’t asked him questions. It is a blessing and a curse, the curiosity in his beautiful man’s eyes yet the determination not to speak it. 

Someone had tamed his lion, trapped him in a cage he willingly keeps locked now. He shakes his head, making his way from the room he’s been inhabiting during their stay. He moves into the kitchen, a cup of tea on the counter, but no Anakin in sight. He sits on a stool, placing his head in his hands. He reaches for the cup, but puts it down, moving to grab one of the fruits and a pastry from the well-stocked pantry. He moves back to the counter, grabbing the datapad he left there overnight and pulls up today’s intergalactic news. 

**Lord Vader Missing? The Emperor Stays Tight-Lipped**

The first thing he sees and he rolls his eyes, even if he feels slightly grateful to Qui-Gon for not sending the galaxy on a massive manhunt for them. It doesn’t mean he isn’t employing bounty hunters, but at least it’s not widely broadcasted. 

_Or maybe he’s just that confident Anakin will betray you and return to his side like a lost puppy,_ his mind sneers and Obi-Wan shakes it away. Things have been going well for a week, who’s to say they won’t continue to. 

Anakin even made him his favorite tea, by the smell of it. 

He brings the cup to his lips and takes a long delicious sip before taking his wrist comm and sending a message to Ahsoka. He particularly misses his babies today, so he figures he’ll go into town and find a café to call them in. He smiles as he takes another sip.

It’s directly after he’s sent a comm to Ahsoka telling her he’s quite all right for today that his tea betrays him. He stares down at it in confusion, the brown liquid looking the same as usual. He tries to reach out with the force to see if there’s something wrong that’s clouding his senses, but he can’t feel anything. The force is swirly and elusive, falling through his prodding mental fingers, slipping around him as if he repels it like a magnet with the same polarity. He curses when his fingers go numb, the tea cup slipping from his hand, and he can’t straighten them. The cup crashes to the counter, shattering and sending the liquid all over the datapad and Obi-Wan’s own lap, the scalding liquid, burning him. 

He can’t even cry out though, his mouth numb and he feels himself fall back, nerves alive as he fears he is going to crack his skull open against the custom made tiles, but strong familiar arms catch him and reality catches up to him at the same time. 

So much for not being lulled into complacency by a Sith Lord. 

_He’s always trusted Anakin too much hasn’t he?_

“Shh, it’s okay baby, I have you,” Anakin hushes and in the haze he feels himself purr when Anakin nuzzles their bond, but he knows what this is. The drug is allowing him control of his mind, but not his body. 

Anakin lifts him easily, but Obi-Wan can’t protest, can’t even move his lips. He wants to scream as Anakin enters a garage Obi-Wan has never seen on the large estate, pulling a sheet of a ship he must’ve found while they were still happy. 

It’s a Nabooian ship, the sleek silver shine burning his eyes, implanting itself into his brain and suddenly his eyes close, the last of him going numb. 

Unconsciousness comes soon after. 

 

 

 

 

Anakin smiles down at his mate when he places him in the co-pilot seat, strapping him in for safekeeping. He places the force-inhibitor on his neck and moves to prep the ship for takeoff. He settles into the pilot seat, reaching over to run his fingers through Obi-Wan’s sleek bronze hair, a smile on Anakin’s face as he pulls out of the garage and up into the atmosphere. 

He punches in coordinates, taking comfort that he will soon be back on Coruscant with his Master, the Emperor Jinn, and his mate, the Unconscious Obi-Wan Kenobi. His mate should go into heat soon, and then he will get the location of his cubs out of his stubborn mate. 

They’re only three at the moment if his math is correct. _Three._ Young enough to mold and young enough for them to grow to love him. Young enough for their other father to not have poisoned them against him yet. 

_They probably don’t even know you exist,_ the dark side hisses, but Anakin shoos it away. He has his mate and soon his power, he need not anger himself and hurt his mate more in the process. The twins will be his, are his. He doesn’t need to rush anything yet. No doubt his traitorous apprentice is watching over them and he needs to be prepared to neutralize her if necessary. 

He hopes it isn’t, he misses her snippy fire and her love and adoration, but he can’t waste time on her that can go to his real children instead of the little sister he had never wanted and gotten anyway. 

He decides to join Obi-Wan in rest until he gets to Coruscant’s atmosphere. He closes his eyes, reaching over to twine their fingers together, the force humming a sad song between them that he ignores. He is not a Jedi, he bends the force to his will, not the other way around. He slips into sleep peacefully for the first time in so long. 

When he awakes, Coruscant looms in his view and he smirks, pulling Obi-wan’s comm into his hand and punching in a code he knows like the back of his hand. 

_“How do you have this frequency?”_ His master asks and Anakin’s smirk widens. 

“Hello, Master,” he purrs and Qui-Gon laughs a deep belly laugh, no doubt scaring whatever aids or guards are in the room with him. He cackles for a couple of minutes as Vader puts his personal code in to get into the planet. 

_“Where’s your mate?”_ Qui-Gon asks and Anakin chuckles. 

“He’s right here next to me,” he declares, possessively curling his hand around Obi-Wan’s. His mate will be out for a couple days, the drug he gave being particularly strong made from Nabooian herbs and the seeds of a fruit native to the area around Varykino. He’s suddenly glad he listened to Padmé’s rambling when he was younger, otherwise he would’ve had no way to bring Obi-wan home. 

“Is my apartment ready?” He asks and Qui-Gon hums. 

_“It is,”_ he says with glee audible in his tone and Anakin feels like dancing. All of his plans are working out, coming to fruition in the best way. He smiles as he hangs up on his master and pulls into the hangar at the Imperial Palace. 

He will win, of this is sure now. Nothing will stand in his way, not even the Empire. 

Not his _Master._

Not _Palpatine._

Not _Ahsoka._

Not even _Obi-Wan_ himself. 

_Victory will be his._

 

 

 

 

Ahsoka looks at her comm as she lounges on their couch, the confirmation of Obi-Wan’s wellbeing staring her in the face even as it conflicts with the sense of his disappearance in the force. He’s just _gone_ now. 

He had felt cloudy, elusive, and then he became a hole in her mind where his bright presence usually radiated like a supernova. She breathes out, trying to calm herself down enough to breathe through the pain. It’s anxiety and panic that lace their way through her bloodstream, the sheer fact that Obi-Wan might be dead. 

_Anakin, what have you done?_

She’s on her feet and in her room before she can think about it, packing a bag when audio seems to register as a hand plants itself on her shoulder. 

_“What?”_ she asks, the static she’s been hearing clearing as she looks up at a panicking Satine. 

“Ahsoka, what’s going on?” The woman asks and Ahsoka forces herself to breathe through the panic, through the sheer inability to think. She sits on her bed and places her head in her hands. She knows she has to do something, but running off to Coruscant alone to face Stormtroopers and two Sith Lords is stupid. She won’t win and Obi-Wan will still be in danger. 

“He’s gone, Satine. It’s like someone ripped open a hole in the force, I can’t sense him. He felt cloudy for a couple minutes and then all of a sudden just disappeared,” she blurts out, struggling to keep a hand on her emotions like Obi-Wan taught her so long ago. 

_Breath in and then out, Young One. Feel for the force and find strength in it, it is always your ally._

She tries now, but everything hurts with the ache of his missing presence. Finally, she closes herself off, even though she might miss a change in the status, because she will go crazy if she remains this far in the force’s depths. Obi-Wan won’t die. Anakin wouldn’t kill him. 

_Unless… He found out about the twins?_

Suddenly, their safe haven feels like a war zone, like she’s fourteen and on Christophsis again, entering a fight she has no part in and risking her life. She’s lost and confused and missing the man who kept her sane all of these years. Satine is speaking, she realizes halfway through the woman’s thought. 

“-we need a plan then. We need to get these kids to safety and find a way onto that planet,” she says and her eyes sparkle with the mischief Ahsoka has always loved, even as her strategic military mind takes precedent. Her eyes brighten and she grabs Ahsoka’s hand in a stone grip. 

She pulls Ahsoka up as she runs through their house, the twins sitting playing with toys in the living area where Padmé overlooks from the kitchen, sipping her caf like its a lifeline. 

_“Padmé!”_ Satine screeches, scaring the woman who almost drops her cup, but catches herself in time, sputtering slightly. 

“Sorry,” Satine apologizes before putting her hands on Padmé’s shoulders, looking straight into her eyes, “How do you feel about being a senator again?” This time Padmé does spit out her caf in surprise, showering Satine in the nasty liquid. Satine brings hands up to wipe it away from her eyes, looking at Padmé with a humorous smile on her face even as her eyes scream that she is completely serious. 

_“Excuse me?”_


	16. the last time you tell me i've got it wrong

His eyes blink open into an unknown room, the richness of the color startling him for a moment. At no time in his life has he lived in a place with dark colors decorating his surroundings. 

It feels so… _ominous._ Very Sith like for sure. 

He remembers everything that happened, remembers Anakin carrying him through the mansion into a ship before he finally passed out. The thing is, he knows that it takes a lot of a drug to affect a force sensitive, which means that Anakin didn’t just drug him; he pumped Obi-Wan full of a drug to keep him asleep. To make him pass out in the first place. 

He doesn’t move. The second Anakin knows he’s awake, he’ll come for him and Obi-Wan doesn’t want that. He needs a plan-he needs a hope, a way out, better shielding-

He gasps as the door swings open on a whim, completely in the middle of a panic attack, and he slams his shields up. Anakin stands shielded by the bright light of the corridor behind him, his shadow as dark as his heart and as frightening as his mind. He stands for a moment, pausing there, silhouetted against the light like a halo, but Obi-Wan will be fooled no longer. Anakin may have been his angel once upon a time, but now he is nothing but the devil himself. Or… the devil’s assistant. 

_“Obi-Wan,”_ the man breathes, rushing towards his mate who backs up against the headboard. He doesn’t want Anakin to ever touch him again. He thought for a second that Anakin might pick him over everything else, but he should’ve known better. 

Obi-Wan wasn’t good enough the first time, why should the second be any different?

“Obi-Wan, please…” Anakin reaches a palm his way, brushing the stray hairs off of his forehead, but Obi-Wan turns his head away and his arm comes up, batting Anakin away. 

_Don’t touch me, don’t touch me, don’t touch me._

He curls in on himself, huddling and pulling the blanket up to his chin. Anakin backs up an inch, looking at Obi-Wan with narrow yellow eyes. Obi-Wan keeps his head tucked, not willing to even look at him.

_Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look._

 

 

_“What do you do with an abused omega?” Qui-Gon asks and eighteen year old Anakin laughs, shaking his head._

_“You might as well put them out of their misery, they’ll always chase after their mate regardless,” Anakin mocks and Qui-Gon belly laughs. As if anything they’re saying is funny or morally okay._

_“An actual answer, Padawan Skywalker,” Qui-Gon admonishes as they pass twenty year old Obi-Wan’s hiding nook in the corridor. As they walk by, Obi-Wan peeks his head out, disgusted by his master and his friend._

 

 

Now, Obi-Wan knows he has been a fool all of this time. He should’ve remembered when Master Windu’s Padawan joked with his own Master about omegas in distress. Anakin was never prepared to love an omega the way that Obi-Wan deserved. When Anakin was twenty-three and they married, Obi-Wan thought the man had changed and for the two years they were married, Anakin was the best husband Obi-Wan could’ve asked for. 

In the end, he may regret choosing Anakin, but he doesn’t regret the kids that resulted from it. They are the light in his darkness. A hand curls around his chin, wrenching his head up to look into Anakin’s eyes. 

_Don’t touch me._

_Don’t look._

_Don’t touch me._

_Don’t look._

_Don’t-_

He squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head to try to get out of the grip. He hears Anakin sigh in frustration, a growl erupting from his chest that makes the omega in Obi-Wan quake in fear. 

_“Look at me,”_ the man demands and Obi-Wan does it instinctively without thought, the world going away, all thought in opposition disappearing for a moment before the command fades with his cooperation, the rest of reality flooding in again. 

_Anakin used his alpha voice._

Obi-Wan feels tears flood his eyes as he looks at Anakin who appears to be conflicted, his eyes now squeezed shut. Obi-Wan flings himself from the bed onto the ground, scrambling to his feet before taking off through the door Anakin came in. 

He can hear Anakin launch after him, can hear his feet pound against the durasteel as he chases him down. 

_“Stop.”_ Obi-Wan skids to a stop, looking over his shoulder in horror. Anakin’s conflict seems to be over and he has no trouble using that voice on him apparently. Obi-Wan goes to run again, but a hand clamps down on his shoulder. 

_“Don’t move.”_ He freezes completely, his limbs not obeying his commands to move, to run far far away. Anakin slips a hand into Obi-Wan’s, his fingers locking him in an unbreakable grip. Obi-Wan’s breathing quickens, but Anakin just gives him his signature half-smile. Obi-Wan wants to hit him for once. He’s overcome with the urge, but he can’t move the way he wants. 

_“What do you do with an abused omega?”_

Obi-Wan has never been more horrified in his life. The fact that he is no longer in control of his own body, that he can hear, see, feel everything, but can’t protest it… Anakin has stolen even his free will. 

_I never thought… Even after all that you’ve done. I never thought you could do something like this to me._

_“Walk with me,”_ his mate commands and Obi-Wan’s feet move as they make their way down corridor after corridor, the grey durasteel of the ship becoming so tedious, he wouldn’t be able to find his room again if he tried. All of the color, the warmth of the universe seems to be sucked out of a port and locked out, the gray being all anyone can see. The walls, the uniforms… Obi-Wan feels almost faint. 

They emerge onto the bridge of the massive ship, Qui-Gon draped in black robes a stark contrast to the gray of the station. Obi-Wan swallows and wills his feet to stall, to change course, but Anakin brings him over to where the man stands, looking out at the construction of a…

_Moon? That’s no moon._

_“Don’t move or try to get away,”_ Anakin commands as they come to a stop. A massive space station lays in view, completely constructed and Obi-Wan fears ready to be used. He looks around, sees many men rushing towards the hangar to their left where transports must be preparing to take almost everyone to the new center of the Empire. 

“Master,” he hears Anakin greet even though Obi-Wan’s attention is definitely elsewhere. He watches the people running until he feels a cold hand grasp his face, the motion clearly a poor attempt at a caress. Obi-Wan looks up at Qui-Gon who smiles softly and fondly down at him as if he didn’t threaten Obi-Wan’s life the last time they met. Luckily, Anakin doesn’t make Obi-Wan greet or be kind to the man. 

“Obi-Wan… How lovely it is to have you here. Our family back together again,” the man smiles, finally removing his hand from Obi-Wan’s face. Obi-Wan wants to punch both of them, hop into a fighter, blow up the station in front of him, and take off towards home where his kids are. Qui-Gon's smile drops as Obi-Wan doesn't respond, just stares with stony anger. 

“Well… I was going to keep this cordial, but you leave me no choice if you wish to ignore me,” Qui-Gon drawls, sweeping over to the control panel like a grim reaper, all black clothing and pale skin. His yellow eyes stare Obi-Wan down as he pushes a button to open communication with the station. 

“Set the machine for Alderaan for it’s first test run… It will be a good example for the galaxy unless,” his eyes flick up to make direct contact with Obi-Wan’s, the look in them sick and cruel, “Unless my son here gives me a military target.” Obi-Wan feels the tug on his arm as Anakin drags him over, but his legs are numb and shaky as he is practically thrown on top of the console, the familiar weight of Anakin pressed up against his backside. 

_“N-no!_ You can’t! Alderaan is a peaceful planet in the core!” Obi-Wan’s protests fall on deaf ears, even as Obi-Wan can hear the people over the comm putting in the coordinates for Alderaan which lays just outside the view of the bridge Obi-Wan concludes. This is all very deliberate, he realizes as he feels two pairs of yellow, sick gazes on his shoulder blades. He slumps, letting his forehead smack against the cool metal of the console. 

“Tell us where he is, Obi-Wan. Tell us and Alderaan goes free,” Anakin hisses in his ear, the sound sending chills down his spine. He wills his mouth to stay shut, to not give this away, but he knows he has no choice. Billions of sentients inhabit the planet of Alderaan… His friends Bail and Breha are there, and he has no idea where Ahsoka is hiding their little band. He breathes in deep, knowing he has no choice. 

_“Tell us,”_ Anakin demands anyway and Obi-Wan pushes himself up into a standing position as he looks at the floor of the ship, feeling his heart shatter. His lips move of their own volition, his choice once again robbed of him as they open and speak the words that damn Obi-Wan’s soul. 

“ _Dagobah._ Yoda’s on Dagobah.” He feels very faint now, his head spinning and his heart racing as Qui-Gon smiles evilly. He leans over, patting Obi-Wan on the shoulder and alerting Vader to take back to their room with a dramatic hand gesture. 

_“Should we put in the new coordinates, Your Excellency?”_ Obi-Wan hears as Anakin hauls him away, but it’s quickly followed by what has Obi-Wan dropping to his knees. 

“No… Dagobah is in fact where we will head next, but that will be a personal victory and as such, the weapon still needs testing. Besides, Dagobah is far too remote to make a good example of for the rest of the galaxy. Fire when ready.” 

Obi-Wan _screams._

_Don’t touch me._

_Don’t look._

_Don’t touch me._

_Don’t look…_

He watches the planet explode seemingly from the inside out, the green ray of the station striking what was once a second home to Obi-Wan and destroying it entirely. Bail and Breha disappear from the force among billions of voices who scream and are suddenly silenced. Obi-Wan wraps his arms around his head, resting it against the floor as sobs wreck him. 

_Thank the force my children and the girls are alive,_ he thinks, and then feels sick for it. His family may be alive, but so many have been ended completely by Qui-Gon and Anakin. No- Darth Mortem and Darth Vader. Whoever they were that Obi-Wan may have loved are gone, destroyed just like Alderaan. 

_“Get up,”_ Anakin orders and Obi-Wan feels his body stand, feels Anakin brushing off his knees and straightening his shirt, _“Walk back to our rooms.”_ Obi-Wan follows the orders, feeling sick to his stomach, retreating into his head as best he can, not wanting anything to do with this situation. The gray durasteel passes again, the dull reality of the ship matching his heart at the moment. He feels as dull and broken as this ship. 

Eventually, they reach the quarters and Anakin sits him on the bed, placing a force inhibitor on his neck before leaving and locking the door, being unable to look at Obi-Wan the entire time. Obi-Wan lets the tears fall for a moment. 

_Yoda… I’m sorry. I swear to the force that I will do everything I can to win this. I will avenge you._

Time goes by where all Obi-Wan can do is lay there and mourn his loss of autonomy and freedom, his loss of his friends and the loss of an entire people and culture in one horrible second. One horrible second made possible by Obi-Wan’s own mate. 

He stands, moving around the rooms, opening the closets and the doors in the room. There’s closets, two of them, full of the standard black clothing Anakin always wears, but this time they come in two sizes. The smaller items are most certainly meant for himself. Obi-Wan sneers, examining the garment. Black isn’t really his color. Among the other doors is a refresher and a calmlink he knows won't work. He moves out of the bedroom, looking around the apartment Anakin seems to have for himself here on the ship. There’s a kitchen, a living space with a television… He has a whole life set up here on the ship, the areas clearly lived in. 

He tries to avoid thinking about Alderaan and the horrible state of his own life. About _Bail and Breha…_ He finds Anakin’s stash of Corellian whiskey, filling one of his cleaner glasses with it and chugging it down. He figures he will be stuck here for a while, so why not? He continues his search through the quarters. 

He isn’t sure what he’s looking for; a way out, a weapon, more alcohol… Any of those are welcome. 

He opens a closet just off of the small kitchen they have, expecting to find cleaning droids or cleaning supplies… Some food maybe. Definitely not-

_“Artoo?”_ He asks out loud even though the droid is most certainly powered down. There are new pieces on him and scorch marks that he can’t remember from before. 

“What has he done to you, buddy?” He finds the power module, pressing down and moving backwards as Artoo chimes to life. Obi-Wan smiles with pure joy, knowing that he has one up on his mate. Hope swells in his chest until… 

_Who are you?_ The droid warbles out and Obi-Wan feels his heart shrink again. Anakin may not have destroyed Artoo, but he might as well have. He wiped the droid’s memory banks. Obi-Wan feels tears falling down his face as he shuts the droid down, leaving the closet. 

Artoo had _everything…_ Their wedding video, the video of the first time Anakin asked Obi-Wan to be his mate…

Anakin _wouldn’t_ have gotten rid of that. 

That means Artoo’s memory chip is in these quarters somewhere… All Obi-Wan has to do is find it. 

“Don’t worry, Buddy… I’ll save both of us if it’s the last thing I do.” 

 

 

 

 

Satine pulls the ship out of hyperspace as they reach the coordinates for the Alderaanian system. She presses the buttons and pulls the levers to slow their passage, but what she sees shocks her. 

In front of her is… _nothing._ Behind her, the children are wailing. Screeching at the top of their lungs for a release from their pain. Ahsoka staggers into the cockpit, head in one hand as she grips the chair to help her keep standing. Slowly, with tears slipping down her face she looks up, confirming her suspicions. 

Alderaan is _gone_ , destroyed in one quick stroke of pain and agony. Satine turns questioning eyes toward Ahsoka, but she stops in the corner of the viewport, her mouth hanging open in shock. 

_“Ahsoka,”_ she gasps and feels Padmé join them in the cockpit, the children still crying in the background. 

“Is that a moon?” Padmé wonders and Ahsoka shakes her head as they watch the giant monstrosity jettison into hyperspace, leaving their area.

“That’s no moon… It was a space station,” Ahsoka says in awe and the three women return to looking at the remains of what used to be Alderaan. Padmé chokes back a sob, returning to the children to ease their pain in whatever way she can. Ahsoka fortifies their shields with her own to hopefully ease the pain. 

“So much for Bail’s help, huh? Satine snarks and Ahsoka huffs a not quite laugh, the grief catching up to her quickly. 

“We need to leave here quickly,” Ahsoka commands, voice and hands shaky as she sets the ship up to re-enter hyperspace, “set course for Naboo before we’re spotted.”

_Obi-Wan… Where are you? Are you okay?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extra long chapter as a thank you for waiting so long! Enjoy and let me know what you thought of it!


	17. the blink of an eye

The Nabooian sunset is as gorgeous as always, Padmé reflects, staring out at the water. 

Today is the day they’re going back to Coruscant, the day they’re returning her to the Senate so that they have an excuse to enter Imperial Center. Returning to the Queen and begging her for another chance, telling her that she had no choice but to stay away until now…

It had not been _easy._ If she was in the girl’s position, she isn’t sure how she would’ve reacted. Be that as it may, there is currently a team inside of her villa at Varykino waiting to transform her. She knows now that this is where Anakin and Obi-Wan had hidden out, her maid staff alerting her as much upon her arrival. Anakin had, if the remains of his experiments were to be believed, drugged Obi-Wan using a combination of native herbs. Padmé shakes her head, resting her palm on her forehead and she rests her elbows on the railing overlooking the water. She knows that she must do this, that she must return to politics for the safety of all involved, but when they had told her she must communicate her reinstatement with the Emperor herself… This is a _gamble._ Qui-Gon Jinn _knows_ her, has helped her during his time with the Jedi.

He knows that she has been helping Obi-Wan all of this time. 

Still, she thinks he may let her in to see just what exactly will happen and besides, they still have something the Emperor and Vader desperately want… The twins. Thinking of those two precious children that she has helped raise their entire lives makes her teary eyed and she forces herself away from the railing. What will be, will be. If she overthinks the plans now, she may not be able to go through with them. 

And Obi-Wan is counting on her being able to go through with them. Failure is not an option. 

She turns and walks back into the villa, ready to turn herself over to the hair and makeup team to prepare her for her conference with Emperor Jinn himself. 

 

 

 

 

It is hours later that finds Satine staring at the sleek silver ship in almost awe, so not used to the luxuries of royalty any longer. The twins each hold one of her hands, Ahsoka next to them in her best gear, covering herself with a cloak and she guesses shielding extremely well. Padmé are boarding the ship, Satine getting on another ship to flee into neutral air space with the twins. She is to land on Tatooine and hand Luke and Leia to Anakin’s step-brother Owen and his wife Beru. They fear Yoda has also been compromised, but they sent for him to meet them on Coruscant if he can. 

This is their moment, the moment where the Empire may fall if they play their cards right. Yoda _should_ be here. Still, the old troll may deny them his help. She breathes, startling a bit when Ahsoka lays a palm on her shoulder. 

“We have to go,” she whispers and Satine tightens her grasp on the twins hands, nodding to her friend before dropping to on knee and pulling them to her front so she can face both of them. 

“Say goodbye to Auntie ‘Soka and then go and say goodbye to Auntie Mé, okay? Then come right back,” she says and the twins nod, turning and throwing their arms around Ahsoka’s thighs, the woman being much too tall for her own good. Satine smiles at the twins, wanting them to feel like nothing is different, like this isn’t possibly the end of life as they know it. 

Satine knows they may lose. She knows that Skywalker has always been stronger than he deserves and that his children have to be permanently hidden until Obi-Wan decides what to do with him when this is all over or… Until they’re old enough to join the rebellion. The twins run over to Padmé, who looks so different then usual in her Senatorial garb. 

So different and yet so familiar. This is the Padmé she knew in another lifetime. 

“It’s weird, right?” Ahsoka asks and Satine looks at her and nods, knowing that they both are remembering the time before. The time when they may not of had each other, but at least the galaxy had been safe. 

“Very,” Satine concedes, arms folded as she watches Padmé kiss the twins’ cheeks, “Are you ready?” It’s not a fair question to ask of Ahsoka, she knows, but she has to know if they really think they can do this. Ahsoka tilts her head, her lips pursing. 

Finally, she speaks, “I don’t know… But if we don’t we leave Obi-Wan at the mercies of something unimaginable and that-I can’t do that.” Satine nods, accepting her answer because she’s absolutely right. They have to do this. And so it goes, the twins return to her side, each taking her hand again and they watch Ahsoka and Padmé’s ship fly off into the atmosphere before she ushers them back inside for dinner before they flee. 

_Tatooine, be kind to these children,_ she prays to the force. 

 

 

 

Ahsoka watches Padmé exit the ship in the hangar of the Imperial Palace before stepping out behind her, her disguise convincing. She takes a sharp left, moving away from all of the hype, looking for a separate way in, a break from the group to just try and find Obi-Wan… Padmé’s hand locks around her own, a grounding for the former queen as they make their way into what is probably the galaxy’s best embodiment of hell itself. 

She grasps Padmé’s hand in return, giving them both a sense of comfort as they face Anakin and Qui-Gon again for the first time really since the fall of the Republic. They had made quick work in that warehouse all of those months ago, not stopping to take in the changes that had come to their old friend over their years of absence. And that time in the field where Obi-Wan had saved her? Well, both Anakin and Ahsoka hadn’t been in a clear state of mind. 

Their entwined hands hide themselves in Padmé’s thick robes, her face the picture of serenity even as her grip threatens to break Ahsoka’s hand. They are led down grey hallways, the old arches of the Jedi Temple haunting Ahsoka’s every step. This place is where she grew and yet she doesn’t even recognize it. 

She expands her presence for a moment, just to feel if any of her dead brothers and sisters remain where they used to be, but that proves to be a monumental mistake. Not only is there nothing left of the Jedi who used to live there, just a sense of fear and claustrophobic panic, but Anakin immediately picks up on her presence. 

There is no hiding now. She must go with Padmé to the throne room. Satine’s ship should have been to Tatooine by now, she should be on her way back. She holds her breath as they reach the throne room, the guards who have been accompanying their little party and the doors swing open. 

Inside, the Emperor sits on his throne, a sick twist to his lips that she knows must be meant to look like a smile. Behind him to his right is Darth Vader himself, a shadow of the man he used to be, cloaked in black from head to toe, his hood pulled up, revealing only the pale gold glowing eyes from beneath it. She shakes her hood off, forfeiting her disguise to stand in front of her former master and Obi-Wan’s former master. 

Anakin steps around the throne, stalking down the stairs until he comes face to face with Ahsoka, his brow furrowed and his golden eyes furious. 

“Lord Vader, please,” Qui-Gon stops him, calling Anakin back to his side like a lost puppy, “Our guests come in peace.” Ahsoka’s lips quirk into a small mocking grin, taunting her master to do something about it. Lord Vader says nothing, just spins on his heel and returns to the Emperor’s side. 

“Emperor Jinn, why am I not surprised to find you at the end of Vader’s leash?” She asks with a grin and Padmé looks at her sharply, gesturing that Ahsoka is to quit it. Ahsoka steps back into line, not having realized she was moving closer to the throne. 

 

_“Always itching for a fight, eh Snips?” Anakin teases as they finish sparring, both out of breath from the intensity of their fight. She giggles, just sixteen at the time and ignites her blade once more, flipping into the air once before settling into the open stance of Jar’Kai._

_“You know it, Old Man,” she says before rushing towards him, allowing their blades to connect once more._

 

But she is no longer a teenage padawan and he is no longer a master. Let alone a _Jedi._

Now, Padmé steps forward, both guards back in their proper places, and Ahsoka hopes Satine is on time. 

 

 

 

 

Leaving those two children is the hardest thing she’s ever done, Satine decides. They’ve never been without one of the three of them or Obi-Wan and now she’s left them with two people they’ve never met. Two people who are happy to help in return for Satine bringing by their niece and nephew more often. Which is… more than fair. She’s always wanted to give the twins more of a normal life. 

Now, she’s approaching Coruscanti air space and she’s terrified. Not terrified enough to back down, but enough to feel afraid for all of them. They’ll leave this place and be fine, she’s sure of it. First though, she needs to get to Obi-Wan. 

She pulls up the map of the palace she asked for from her sister a week ago, finding Vader’s quarters easily. Obi-Wan has to either be there or near by and in forty standard minutes, when Padmé and Ahsoka face them, she’ll have an opportunity to break in. Looking down at her disguise, she makes sure her storm trooper uniform is in pristine condition. It is, of course it is, it was a gift of the one she beat up in an ally, she should be fine. 

_“Entrance code, Trooper?”_ The voice comes over the receiver of the stolen shuttle and she reads what was on the stormtrooper’s data chip, hoping it works. 

It does, _“Entrance granted.”_ She flies past the planetary shields down to the lower levels before parking the ship in the hangar by Dex’s. She figures, while she’s here, she’ll go have a milkshake and reminisce on old times spent here with Obi-Wan while they were Duchess and Jedi Master alike. It’s a good way to waste twenty minutes anyway before she steals a speeder. 

She pulls her cloak around her before exiting the ship, leaving the keys on the pilot’s chair. She doesn’t care who ends up with the ship as long as it’s not her. She enters the diner, helmet clipped to her belt along with a blaster and hopes that no one wonders about her long enough to draw attention. Of course, Dex recognizes her, different as she may appear after these years on the run, and his eyes widen. He wisely says nothing. 

She enjoys the milkshake just like she always has and tips well. Very well. She wants Dex to know she still cares for him, even if conversing is too dangerous. On her way out, she nods her head, the waitress and Dex watching her make her way into the sunset more than likely. She dips into an alley and ditches the cloak, knowing the longer her face is seeable the more likely she is to be recognized. Satine pulls on the helmet, fully donning her disguise.

She makes her way into the palace through the soldiers quarters with about five minutes until the meeting starts, staying put. If anyone asks, her shift hasn’t started. That’s all she needs to say. 

When the clock tells her she can move, she does, going up to the fifth floor where Vader’s quarters are. She looks around finding the door down a little to the left, a guard in front of it. She grabs her blaster, shooting the trooper in the eye mask when she’s sure the coast is clear. He falls, giving her an in, but now she’s on a time crunch because more troopers will come to check the floor in about ten minutes. Satine takes a deep breath, centering herself before running for the door at top speed. 

The doors slide open when she put the troopers key up to it, letting her know that he must’ve been 501st. Vader never would’ve trusted someone outside of his own legion to guard his mate. 

Inside, she can see Obi-Wan’s head lift, his eyes wide with… _Something._ Not quite fear, but definitely unease. 

“What does he want now? Does he want to blow another planet up in my face?” Obi-Wan asks, not even looking up at the guard he believes has been sent to fetch him. Satine smiles, moving into the room where Obi-Wan is lounging on the bed, his grey clothing looking so odd on him. 

“No,” she responds and he startles, clearly not expecting the trooper to say anything. He looks up at her, eyes narrowed as she unhooks her helmet, letting her hair loose and smiling at her dearest friend. 

“No, I’m here to rescue you,” she says with a smile and Obi-Wan smiles for a moment. 

Just a moment and then pure, undiluted horror comes over his features and Satine barely has time to turn before she feels her throat constrict and her feet leave the floor. Her hands come up to her throat as her assaulter moves around her into view, the long golden curls of Anakin Skywalker revealing themselves. 

_“I don’t think so,”_ he taunts and the world goes black. 

The last thing she hears is Obi-Wan screaming. 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, across the palace, Ahsoka’s white lightsabers clash with red. 

 

Their plan has _failed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so a chapter from Padmé, Ahsoka, and Satine's points of view! probably not that exciting for everyone, but the end is coming and everyone has to get there, not just obi-wan and anakin! thank you for reading and let me know what you thought of the chapter!


	18. no past

_“What have you done?”_ Obi-Wan demands, rushing forward to check Satine’s pulse. It’s there, it’s weakly there, even as Obi-Wan scrambles around her, torn between sobbing over her body and screaming at his mate. He looks up at Vader through tear-filled eyes, hyperventilating on the floor. 

Vader stares down at his mate, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes a cool ominous yellow and his face calm. Obi-Wan feels his breath hitch as he stares up at his mate, the man almost unrecognizable to him at the moment. 

“She will live,“ Vader concedes as though it is a gift, as though his not killing her is a mercy gifted to Obi-Wan out of the sheer kindness of Vader’s heart. Obi-Wan’s face pulls into a snarl and he pushes to his feet towards Vader before he can even process what he’s doing. 

“She’s my friend,” he gasps out, “she means so much to me, to _them-_ “ Obi-Wan stills, still hyperventilating, and moves back to where he body lays, falling back to his knees at her side. He has revealed too much and now retreats behind all of his shields. 

He resolves to not speak again until he is calm. 

“To them? Do you mean my children, Obi-Wan?” Vader taunts, but Obi-Wan doesn’t even look at him, just hovers over Satine’s body. 

_I won’t let him hurt you again,_ he promises the unconscious woman. 

_Survive, please, for them._

 

 

 

 

Padmé is thrown backwards by the force as she watches Ahsoka’s sabers connect with Qui-Gon’s single red one. The colors reflect on their faces and for a moment, Padmé is mesmerized by the symbolic beauty of it. 

But this is certainly not her first rodeo. 

She feels the arms of the red guards around her and thinks for a moment before she spins, ripping herself from their grasp and getting her hands on the nearby weapon. She wrenches it off of the guard’s belt, shooting whoever is in the suit right between the eyes. They fall as she turns to shoot the other one by the door. There are two more she quickly shoots down while she has the element of surprise, adrenaline pumping through her veins in a way it hasn’t since the end of the Clone Wars. 

She’s surprised to find that she may be smiling. 

The guards across the room are called to attention by the gun shots, but Ahsoka and Qui-Gon carry on. Padmé swears under her breath, realizing she won’t be getting any help on her end as she rushes to the side of the room to duck behind an elaborate decoration left over from Palpatine’s reign. 

“For fucking force sake,” she mumbles as she reloads the blaster she robbed from the guard, looking over her left shoulder around the crate and eyeing the guard on the left. There are too many of them, if she allows them to get over to her side of the throne room, they’ll easily corner her. Aiming for the ceiling, she shoots the overhanging lighting. The beams fall towards the other side of the room, taking out two guards who were rushing towards her. 

_Three left._

She rushes back over to the door, picking up the staff of one of the guards and placing it in her dominant hand, still holding her blaster in her non-dominant. 

_Thank you, Nabooian combat training,_ she thinks to herself, praying to the force as she finally sprints towards the remaining guards, shooting the blaster wildly. The guards move their staffs elegantly to deflect the bullets, but she was expecting that. Her feral grin widens, vaulting the spear through the air to crack through the helmet of one of the guards, splitting his head open. 

Her breathing is heavy as she then directs the blaster pointedly, the bullet slipping past the staff of one of the last two guards, piercing his mask and killing him.

_One left._

She grabs the staff of the newest dead guard, and then smiles up at the last one standing. 

“I bet you didn’t know you were messing with a Queen?” She taunts the remaining guard, but the well-trained imperial says nothing. She keeps her adrenaline fueled jubilation though and she turns, running in the other direction, forcing the guard to chase her. She reaches the other side of the room far sooner than they do, their armor humorously limiting their mobility and climbs one of the ridiculous statues lining the imperial throne room. She sticks the staff through a ripped hole in the waist of her gown, the stick lying horizontally along her lower back and drops the blaster, scaling the rock with ease. 

Then as she climbs she looks down, reaching a point where the guard can’t reach her. As the guard turns their face upward, Padmé grins with all teeth. 

“You serve a corrupt system, I hope you know this isn’t personal,” she admits and the guard’s helmet tilts as if asking what she means. She tilts her head similarly before bringing the staff down right through the person’s skull. They fall and Padmé giggles for a moment, jumping from the statue and landing with her knees bent. She rips the staff out of their head with a flourish, the helmet falling away to reveal the face of a young man. 

She mourns him for a moment, but there are always complications in war. She is a Queen and she has served her people, has protected democracy for the sake of the galaxy. 

She looks up, running towards the pair dueling on the other side of the room. She’s going to help end all of this. 

_For Obi-Wan. For Naboo. For the galaxy._

 

 

 

 

“You always were a rebellious child,” Qui-Gon sneers down at her and Ahsoka cracks a grin. For all of the new evilness surrounding this man, he is still part of her training, part of her upbringing. This man taught her alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan, taught her Ataru all on his own. 

And because of that, she has the combined knowledge of Anakin, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and her damn self. As well as Master Mace when he felt like it. 

She is a master all on her own now. Even Obi-Wan agrees. She can win this. 

No, she _will_ win this. 

She spins, arching into her own modified Soresu move that fits with Jar’Kai. Qui-Gon deflects and she can feel the battle going on around her, senses Padmé’s odd joy in the force. The room seems to be burning around them, but she knows it isn’t true. She can no longer feel Satine in the force, but that doesn’t mean she’s dead.

Except that Vader had left to go to Obi-Wan and that means that she probably _is_ dead. For all Ahsoka knows, they’re all going to die. But if she can kill this one man, then it might be worth it. Maybe… Maybe Obi-Wan was _right._ Maybe Anakin can be saved. 

“I may have been, but I had to have learned it from somewhere,” she taunts, swirling away from him. His stance is sloppy, overconfident. His Ataru is unpracticed, the man used to dueling untrained enemies other than Vader of course, but only having one opponent will still weaken one’s skills. 

She is in the same boat, only dueling with Obi-Wan and occasionally Asaaj if she feels up to it. They are well matched, two of the few and far between remaining force users in the galaxy. Qui-Gon and Anakin have personally seen to that. 

“If you are suggesting something, Young One, just come out and say it,” Qui-Gon snarks and for a moment, it feels as though they’re really just sparring. Feels as though she is sixteen again in the temple, like she belongs there with him. But it’s her surroundings that remind her that she isn’t home any longer. 

This room may now hold a throne, may be decorated in lavish curtains and statues and artifacts, but it used to be open with windows all around. It used to be where she stood before all of the Masters. _The Council Chamber._

She screams, leaping after him as he ducks away and bringing her sabers down in a deadly arc, one blocking the other’s blade and the other clipping his shoulder. Qui-Gon shouts out in pain, but Ahsoka spins before any hurtful blows can come her way. 

Ahsoka can feel Padmé approach again, but throws her away with the force, feeling the woman hit her head against one of the statues as if it were her own. She wonders when she became so in tune with the other women in her trio, but isn’t surprised. This is a fight Padmé cannot help win. 

They fight for what seems like hours, both tired and both refusing to give in. Ahsoka knows now that she must do whatever it takes to kill Qui-Gon, even if it means dying in the process. It’s risky, definitely a move selfless Obi-Wan would attempt, but the force is singing of a different harmony. She leaves her lower half open and feels his blade drag across her abdomen even as she feels her blade hit flesh, stabbing Qui-Gon Jinn through the heart. She feels precisely when he leaves the force, when his presence vanishes from the universe. Ahsoka falls back, her body hitting the floor and her head slamming against the tile as she stares up at the ceiling. 

There, faint but still visible, are the etchings that have always marked the Council Chamber. 

“What a way to go,” she whispers softly, “at home with the people I’ve loved most in my life.” She turns her head even as it feels as though it weighs a million tons, looking over to where Padmé lays unconscious. 

“Protect them for me,” she mumbles hoarsely, “protect Luke and Leia. They are the new hope.” She knows Padmé can’t hear her, but perhaps the force will pass on her message somehow. Ahsoka throws one arm out to Padmé, reaching towards her in the force to give her strength and forces herself to look back up at the ceiling. 

Her eyes grow foggy and she blinks, choking a bit on her own blood as she lays there. 

_I did it, Masters,_ she projects out into the force, _I stopped Qui-Gon. I won._

The markings are the last things she sees. 

 

 

 

 

Anakin grabs Obi-Wan by his collars, lifting his mate to his feet before throwing him to the side. Obi-Wan falls against the wall, but maintains his footing, not falling to the ground. He scrambles to launch himself back Vader, but the force screams before he can. 

Qui-Gon is _gone._

Vader looks at him with shock in his eyes. They stare at each other for a few moments, the loss palpable between them, but what he feels next has him running, ignoring Vader completely as his feet pound down the hallways of what used to be the Jedi Temple. He can’t breathe. He can hear Vader behind him, but he doesn’t stop, just throws open the door to the throne room to find the carnage left there. 

The room is in shambles. Qui-Gon lays dead on the steps of his throne, his long hair hiding his face, but not the gaping wound in his chest. Obi-Wan skids to a stop, looking around him. Padmé is crying on one end of the room, her hand pressed against a wound on her head. Obi-Wan watches her for a moment before he slowly moves his gaze, looking for what he had felt. 

The world slows down even as he feels his feet moving, his heartbeat sounding off in his ears like repeated blaster shots. On the ground, a small smile on her face even as a thin trail of blood trails from the corner of her lips to her cheek to the floor, is Ahsoka Tano. His little sister, his _best friend._ His falls to his knees pressing his ear to her chest as his fingers feel for a pulse on her neck and then when that fails her wrist. 

He knows she is gone, but he cannot accept that. There are tears on the floor that must be his but he cannot feel them. He knows there are sounds in this room, but he cannot hear them. 

All he hears is screaming which must be his own. 

 

 

 

 

Vader grabs the body of Satine Kryze from the floor before chasing after Obi-Wan. He follows the distressed omega down hallway after hallway, being reminded of when they used to race when they were padawans. A lot of time has passed since then. 

His padawan is _dead._

He blocks out all thoughts as he follows Obi-Wan into the throne room. His Sith Master lays dead in a very similar position to how his Jedi Master died so long ago. Anakin chokes back a sob, the devastation clawing against his soul too much for a moment before he shoves it all into the vault to use for power later. 

His eyes fall on Ahsoka next, his mate draped over her dead body as he screams and Vader swallows what feels like a rock. He failed her and he can’t face that yet. 

He can’t face what he’s done to the galaxy. 

The next face he sees is Padmé, a friend that used to mean the world to him. He’s failed her too. 

_He needs to leave._

He brings the body over to Padmé and drops it at her feet, bending low to look her in the eyes. 

“ _Leave._ Take her and leave. This is the only thing I can grant you,” he whispers before standing and spinning on his heal, his cape swirling dramatically behind him. 

He hauls Obi-Wan over his shoulder and doesn’t look back, leaving the trail of destruction in his wake. He ignores his mate’s screams. 

As he goes, he can feel eyes boring into his back and they aren’t Padmé’s. He shoves the guilt down, it’s not like she’s alive any longer. He chokes back tears, hearing the first lesson Palpatine ever taught him repeat over and over in his head.

_There's no use feeling bad for the dead._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me. 
> 
> (and thank you so much for reading!)


	19. i'm asking you why

“Get up, Satine,” Padmé grunts, the room around them beginning to make her feel uncomfortable. This, where they stand, is a room where Jedi gave their lives to protect the Republic… Where Ahsoka died. She chokes back a scream as she shoves at Satine again. 

She watched Anakin drag Obi-Wan out screaming and she did nothing, just allowed a man who used to be her best friend order her around. She had done nothing. 

_Nothing._

She didn’t even see Ahsoka die. Just woke up feeling the universe tilt on it’s axis, Ahsoka Tano leaving it for good. Nothing. And now she can’t even escape because Satine is unconscious and their window of opportunity is rapidly closing. Padmé stops for a moment and breathes, there is no use panicking as much as she really wants to. Remembering a tactic Anakin taught her from war times, she leans down and plugs the woman’s nose, knowing she can’t hold for more than twenty seconds. 

_“Please wake up,”_ she begs as the woman begins to jerk around for a moment before shooting up, wrenching out of Padmé’s loose grip and gasping for air. Her eyes are frantic, looking back and forth several times before her gaze settles across the room. Padmé prepares for the worst. 

“We-I… We-“ 

“Satine-“

“Padmé, we won! He’s dead! But, but where is-“ Satine stops as her eyes finally find the thing Padmé can’t explain, the atrocity that will haunt them forever. Instantly, Satine gasps, falling to her knees where she stood just seconds before. 

“We didn’t win at all, did we?” She asks, her voice barely above a whisper, and Padmé chokes back tears, shaking her head in response. Satine bows her head for only a moment, letting a single tear fall before she squares her shoulders and forces herself to her feet. She is Mandalorian at heart, she does not fear death. Padmé watches her stand, watches her slowly walk over to Ahsoka’s body and take a knee, kissing the younger woman’s forehead. She picks up Ahsoka’s lightsabers, igniting them in an x shape and praying to her own gods for just a moment before standing again, holding the lightsabers now off in her hands. 

“We must go,” she says, voice void of emotion and Padmé would be frightened, but she recognizes this behavior. Satine is a warrior and this her warrior mode, this disconnected version of her to process her grief. Satine stalks over to Qui-Gon, ripping his red blade from his cold, dead hand and turns back to Padmé, her lip pulled up in a snarl.

“We stop Vader now. We can’t let him take Obi-Wan,” she declares and all Padmé can do is nod, taking off after her as Satine runs for the hangar, but she stops, looking at a familiar door. The walls are decorated by lavish fabrics, but she suspects what she recognizes is still there; whether through Anakin’s own grief, or Palpatine’s desire to draw upon it. 

“Go on without me, I have to see something,” she calls, but doubts Satine even hears her. Anakin is no doubt gone and they do need to make their way to a hangar to be able to escape, but she needs to see it. 

She sweeps aside the wall hanging, revealing the quarters that used to belong to Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. She isn’t overly familiar with the temple, and she isn’t sure where Satine had led her if it brought them all the way to the knights quarters. This room, though, this one she knows. She opens the door, the room dark since the windows were covered by steel, but there is a light she switched on. 

The room is as she remembers, but she makes her way to their old bedroom, the place where she may find what she is looking for. Obi-Wan’s closet is the only thing within the room that is not destroyed, no doubt a result of Anakin’s tantrums following their separation. 

The room is surprisingly… _Lived in._

He must still stay here, hidden in the Imperial Palace sometimes when he needs a break from being… From being Vader. A place he can just be Anakin. 

The thought makes her heart ache for the man he used to be, a man she had truly once loved. She opens the closet, knowing what she’ll find when she does. On the floor is a box, one Anakin wouldn’t dare touch. Padmé grabs it and runs. 

Anakin and Obi-Wan may never work again, but their children deserve to know they came from love someday. She races down the hall, catching glimpses of troopers entering the palace. They are out of time. 

“Padmé, come on! I’ve got a ship,” Satine orders, still closed off and Padmé runs onboard. Satine exits the hangar and then the atmosphere as Padmé opens the box. 

“What is it?” Satine calls back, having seen her running with the box. 

“Just some old memories worth keeping,” Padmé says, lifting an object out of the box and kissing it, “some really good memories.” Satine chuckles from the front where Padmé sees three lightsabers chilling out on a seat by themselves. A true Mandalorian would keep them as trophies and perhaps to Satine, Jinn’s is one, but not the two that belonged to Ahsoka. No, Padmé knows that they are precious and will be kept as a way to pray for her and remember her. 

“Where are we heading?” She asks Satine after a couple of minutes, wanting to know where they’re spending what could be the rest of their lives. Satine frowns, clearly upset by whatever location she’s picked for them.

“Tatooine,” she says and Padmé sighs dramatically. _Of course it’s Tatooine._

“Back to where it all began, I guess,” she complains and Satine grins at her sharply, her teeth bared like a lioness in attack mode. Padmé would’ve startled if she didn’t know Satine so well. 

“For _you,_ ” she laughs and Padmé joins in. There’s nothing funny about their situation, but she assumes this may be a good thing. They have to be able to find joy in their situation or else the trauma of it all will collapse on their shoulders. 

 

 

 

Obi-Wan screams, pounding on Anakin’s back as he races down the corridors of the palace leading to the special hangar bay only he and the other sith used. Obi-Wan slumps after a moment, unable to do anything but dry heave. He hangs over Anakin’s shoulder gasping for air, wishing for nothing more than to just disappear. 

Ahsoka is gone. _Ahsoka is gone._ Ahsoka, his best friend, his little sister, his protector is gone and he is stuck in the very position she spent her later years saving him from. Obi-Wan feels tears slipping down his cheeks, knowing that he’s failed her even now. 

“I-I,” Anakin starts and Obi-Wan brings his knee down hard on Anakin’s back, causing the sith to cry out. Obi-Wan twists violently, landing them on the ground hard. The air is forced from Obi-Wan’s lungs, but he staggers to his feet, making a run for the hangar bay like Anakin had been. 

A hand wraps around his ankle, dragging him back to the ground. He kicks out, but he knows he’s only hitting Anakin’s mech hand. He looks back into the snarling face of his mate and just can’t stop himself from crying out.

“She was your padawan! She loved you! You were supposed to protect her!” Anakin pulls himself upwards, slowly crawling up Obi-Wan while the omega screams. He snarls down at Obi-Wan, wanting to force him into submission, but the older man will just not have it. 

“She was a fool! She was dumb and stupid and an idiot and-and-“ Anakin heaves for air for a moment, tears in his eyes that Obi-Wan can see. He almost wants to reach out in his pain, soothe his mate until his panic is over but he cant. 

If Anakin had done anything at all, Ahsoka; the girl they raised, would be alive right now. 

“And _nothing!_ We were supposed to raise and love her and look what you have done to us! Look, Anakin!” Anakin brings his hands up to clutch his head, eyes a bright sick sulfuric yellow. He rolls off of Obi-Wan on the floor next to him.

“Stop! Stop, Obi-Wan!” He begs, tears slipping down his cheeks and Obi-Wan can’t hear him. He can’t think beyond the loss in his heart and it is choking him. His throat is clogged with thick emotions, but it’s still functional and he’s still screaming.

“How could you? We were _happy!_ We have babies now that you’ve never met because you _suck_ , Anakin!” He feels like a padawan again, his language juvenile and his attitude falling to shreds around him, but he can’t help it. Anakin looks like he’s going to collapse in anguish, but his head shoots up, his eyes finding his mate’s and they look red.

_“Stop,”_ he commands and Obi-Wan freezes in his spot, unable to move, _“Don’t speak.”_ Obi-Wan feels the screams die, his throat still open to produce them, but nothing coming out. He smacks Anakin when he comes to pick Obi-Wan up, the handprint left behind raw and red on his alpha’s face. He goes to smack him again, but it is stopped, Anakin’s mech hand squeezing Obi-Wan’s so tightly he’s surprised his bones haven’t popped out. Anakin visibly swallows, holding back from unleashing his full fury on his mate. 

He scoops Obi-Wan up, carrying him bridal style into the hangar and onto a ship. He assumes this must be Vader’s private yacht; a fancy ship that no one in their right mind really needs, but Vader enjoys anyway. He’s probably made all of his own adjustments to it as well. 

The ramp isn’t steep and Vader deposits him in the copilot’s chair, strapping him in and chaining him so that he can’t mess with the ship and can’t escape. His mate hums, his eyes still red as he opens the hangar gate and lifts the ramp. 

Vader sits next to him, evil and not even seeking forgiveness for his awful behavior. Still, Obi-Wan cannot speak, bound by the order Anakin gave him minutes ago. In this moment, Obi-Wan really and truly hates him. Not just what he’s become, but who he _is._

The Anakin that loved him would never have done any of this to any of them and it’s about time Obi-Wan realizes it. He needs… He needs to kill Vader. He needs to kill him no matter how much of Anakin is left. The first chance he has so that he can return to his babies and raise them in a galaxy free of tyranny. If he continues to wait for Anakin to come back he will be waiting forever. 

He has let this go on for _too long._

“I can’t do this Obi-Wan. You have to listen to me! You have to trust that I am doing what is best for our family!” He insists, his eyes so wide he looks insane and Obi-Wan can’t respond so he just narrows his eyes. Vader’s right about one thing, he can’t do this. This time, Obi-Wan won’t let him. 

All of a sudden, Vader sniffs the air, rounding on Obi-Wan like a savage. He stiffens, just realizing in all of the craziness that this emotional turmoil triggered his heat. Obi-Wan stiffens as Vader slams the autopilot, moving towards Obi-Wan slowly, like a predator chasing it’s prey. He thrashes in the chains, wanting to run like hell away from Vader and everything he stands for. 

Vader smiles, moving closer until their faces are just an inch apart, their instincts kicking in and the scent becoming a thick cloud around them. Obi-Wan swallows as Vader noses the scent gland on his neck, the mating mark there tingling all over and making him shiver. He backs up, looking down at him from above, sealing his fate.

“Oh, Pretty One… _Pretty Mate,”_ he purrs, placing kisses up the column of Obi-Wan’s throat. 

_“Say my name,”_ he orders and Obi-Wan feels tears escaping down his cheeks as he looks up into the man’s yellow eyes. 

“Anakin,” he breathes out, finally able to speak, but Vader catches Obi-Wan’s throat with his flesh hand, squeezing to the point where it’s threatening his ability to breathe. 

“No,” the man above him chuckles and Obi-Wan wants his air to cut off in his throat. He wills himself not to say it, but the order is still there, egging him on to speak against what all of his being wants. 

“V- _Vader,”_ he spits out between clenched teeth and the beast above him smiles, pleased. 

_“Yes.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end is rapidly approaching, my friends... please continue to let me know what you think of the story! I'm so sorry my updates have been slow, i'm finishing my first year of college! thank you all so much for reading!


	20. just like all those times before

When the heat breaks again, Obi-Wan can feel how fucked he is. There, a little spec in the force that wasn’t there before lurks in the depths of his being. He chokes back a sob, not wanting to wake the beast beside him. His stomach has other plans though as his anxiety and panic take full hold. 

He launches from the bed, running to the fresher as fast as his feet will carry him. As he empties any of the very little food he’s ingested over the last couple of days, he hears the sheets rustle behind him. Fantastic. The beast is awake. 

“Mate?” He calls and Obi-Wan shivers, curling into a ball and protecting his stomach. He has a fairly good feeling that Vader won’t be able to sense it, he wasn’t able to sense the twins in the beginning anyway. Still, he doesn’t respond, just places his head between his knees and prays to the force that Vader will have mercy and stay in their nest. 

He can hear the beast march into the bathroom and squat, fingers hooking underneath his chin and lifting Obi-Wan’s head until blue meets gold. Obi-Wan doesn’t even try to resist, knowing that if Anakin was going to save him at any point he would’ve by now.

“What’s wrong?” Vader asks and Obi-Wan wants to cry. Here he is, with his mate and yet he feels so unsafe. Anakin used to be his safe place, his family, but this isn’t Anakin and Vader terrifies him. Vader would corrupt his child if he can’t find a way to leave or to… No. Not unless it’s his last option. 

“I feel ill. Its normal after a heat, don’t worry,” he assures the beast and squeaks when he feels strong arms surround him, lifting him and carrying him back to the nest. Once inside of it, Obi-Wan actually feels a bit better, but he can’t shake off the nerves now. 

He’s _pregnant._ He’s pregnant with another Skywalker child. What kind of bantha _sh-_

“Shh… Pretty mate, it will all be okay soon,” Vader hushes and Obi-Wan feels his eyes fluttering closed as Vader slowly strokes his spine. He yawns, burrowing his face into the sheets and allowing himself to sleep. He can’t deal with this right now, he’ll handle it in the morning. 

Vader smirks as he looks down at his mate, knowing that things will be okay soon. He stands, his rut finally having ended and pulls on his pants. He watches Obi-Wan breathe softly as he pulls his shirt over his head and then grabs his cloak and clips it on. 

He has a ship to land and arrangements to make. 

 

 

 

 

“Leia,” Padmé sighs, looking at the young girl who is covered in sand and bantha milk, grinning up at her with a front tooth missing. Padmé missed that, missed Leia losing her first tooth and although she isn’t the girl’s mother it sends a pang of sadness through her. She can’t imagine how Obi-Wan must feel, separated from the twins for as long as he has been. Of course, the other option is Vader finding them and corrupting them to run his horrid empire which is a fate Obi-Wan would rather die than allow. Padmé knows this, but she also knows that it must be horrible for Obi-Wan right now. 

“Aunt 'Mé, look what I did!” Luke calls and she looks over, the boy floating his ship in the air with the force, something Obi-Wan used to do with them when they were all still living together. She smiles, enjoying the way Luke laughs as he plays with the ship. She sighs, turning back to Leia who is still smiling up at her with her mischievous grin. 

“Leia, head to the sonic shower please,” she asks and Leia shakes her head, taking off towards the door again to go play with the banthas. Padmé sighs again, letting her go. The girl should take joy in as many ways as she can, taking the loss of her father worse than Luke. Well, perhaps not worse than him, but she has been far more vocal about it then Luke. 

She casts another worried glance over towards Luke who is still taking such joy in playing with his starship model, but decides once again to not unpack his pain yet. The boy is handling it, he hasn’t asked for help yet, and Padmé respects that, but he is so young. She will let him try, but when he eventually needs her, she’ll immediately be there. 

They moved out into the Jundland Wastes, a ways away from the Lars’s with just a few things with them. They had cots and a landspeeder as well as some food and tools. Luke and Leia brought toys with them as well, but their existence was very bare these days, not much going for them out in the vast desert of Tatooine. They’ve been here only a week now, but Padmé has come to be fond of this place. The trip to Mos Eisley is a nice ride to clear her head and the market has been very profitable lately, Padmé buying gas for the stove, two banthas that took hours to drag back to the new farmhouse, some decorations for the twins room as well as blankets and pillows for all of them. There are four bedrooms in the house, two upstairs and two downstairs. 

They all sleep downstairs for now, the temperature cooler at all times. She has recently acquired small space heaters for their rooms to keep them warm on the extremely cold nights. Padmé startles when the kettle whistles on the stove and pours two cups of Tatooine blend, one made of dried desert herbs. She takes a deep breath as she turns to bring the tea down to her companion, the woman who has become catatonic. 

Satine had gotten them to Tatooine, had spoken to the Lars couple and regained custody of the twins. She had brought them and the few supplies the Lars’s could spare out to this farmhouse she had acquired before she left incase anything went wrong and then…

Well, Padmé isn’t quite sure what had happened. Satine was fine and then the next morning she hadn’t come out of her room and the door was locked. Everyday since that day, Padmé has brought her tea and food, leaving them outside of the door. Satine clears them and downs them all, so at least Padmé knows she’s eating. 

She knocks, “Satine? I’m leaving tea outside your door.” She waits for a response which may or may not come before sighing, knowing today is not the day. Satine is handling something, some deep guilt or pain that Padmé isn’t a part of, and she needs to let her handle it in her own way. Padmé walks back up the stairs, going back to caring for the kids, and wonders just how she’s supposed to get Leia in the shower. 

And more seriously… When she’ll see Obi-Wan again. 

 

 

 

 

Obi-Wan lounges in his gilded cage, the furniture lavish and fancy. He’s back in the palace, Vader having things rearranged during their short trip through space. He doesn’t have a force restricting collar, but Vader has force trained agents guarding his room at all times. He calls them inquisitors and Obi-Wan knows he could defeat them, but he also knows it would slow him down enough that Vader would reach him every time. And Vader he can’t defeat as easily. 

He pouts, knowing there is very much so a child in him he must protect. He has nine standard months approximately until the child is born and yes this time it is only one, but he has limited time until Vader knows the child exists and that… That is much more fragile of a timeline. Obi-Wan got extremely lucky the first time around now that he reflects on it. 

He stands, in a mood suddenly, and looks around the room. Just because Vader has him right where he wants him doesn’t mean that Obi-Wan can’t mess with him and potentially get some information out to the Rebellion. The room is big and he’s been in here for almost a couple of days so he knows there must be vents, he just doesn’t know where. He licks his finger and holds it up, easily finding that the air is coming from the left side of the room. There’s a large wall hanging on that side and he moves quickly, removing it to reveal the entrance to the vents. 

“Yes,” he whispers and climbs in, following his senses towards where his bond with Vader is most intense before throwing his shields up. He can’t have Vader following him and ruining the fun just yet. He climbs along the vents until he makes it to the hallway outside of Vader’s main office. The Emperor’s office, the one that Obi-Wan knows Palpatine and then Qui-Gon used before Vader decided to take it up. 

Vader enters the corridor and pauses, looking around as if he knows something is up. Obi-Wan freezes in the vent, going completely still and making sure that his shields are in place. 

“Alert the senate that I am holding court now,” he orders some random guard or assistant who scrambles to get it done. Obi-Wan inwardly cheers, realizing he will have full access to the office for a good two hours. He crawls to the vent in the office and pushes it open with the force, catching the grate with it before it crashes on the ground. He silently drops, shamelessly using the force to keep things under wraps so that the guards outside don’t realize he’s in here. 

The drawers of his desk have many datapads in them and Obi-Wan picks one up, opening it. Inside are the plans to TIE fighters, just the schematics and he tosses that one aside, pulling out another. This one is other arbitrary things and Obi-Wan huffs. He replaces them and shuts the drawer, looking for another place Anakin would hide the plans to that awful machine. He uses the force to remove anything from the walls at once and is pleased to find a safe in the wall. It is force protected, but that’s never stopped Obi-Wan before. 

The password is his mother’s birthday, it’s the same one Anakin has used on everything since he was a boy. Something only he and Obi-Wan would know. 

_You’re implicating yourself, Obi-Wan… Are you sure you want to do this? It isn’t just you that you’re protecting now._

His conscious is right, but Obi-Wan still must do this. If the Rebellion doesn’t get their hands on the plans then the galaxy is doomed to live under Vader’s reign. He pulls out the datapad and opens it, the schematics for Project 66 coming up on the screen and he breathes out a sigh of relief. He’s fucked now anyway, no matter how he spins this, so he opens Vader’s comm and punches in his own personal code, entering the secret one Bail gave him for times like these before sending them along. 

Obi-Wan places the data pad back in the safe and locks it, finally allowing all of the wall decor to fall back into place. He looks around the office, making sure everything is as he found it and then hauls himself back into the vents to await his execution. At least he knows he’s done something the universe desperately needs. 

It’s hours later that the doors to his cage swing open, Vader sweeping in like the grim reaper; his face shrouded by his hood and his aura dark. The force darkens in his presence and Obi-Wan represses a shiver. Darth Vader stares down at him from under the hood, angry red eyes backing him down. Obi-Wan stares him down, not flinching when Vader’s lightsaber ignites at his side, bathing them both in harsh scarlet light. 

“What are you going to do, _Mate?_ Kill me?” He asks, tilting his head with a cocky grin and Vader’s lip lifts in a snarl. Obi-Wan doesn’t break eye contact, not even when Vader drops a saber into his lap. It’s his. The one Vader stole in that warehouse all those months ago. Obi-Wan finally looks down, grasping the hilt in his hand before gazing back up at Vader. 

“I won’t fight you. So if you want to kill me you better just get on with it,” Obi-Wan tells him and he stands, backing away from Vader who stalks after him like he’s prey. 

“You don’t have a choice, Obi-Wan,” Vader sneers, his eyes wickedly cruel as he stares his mate down, _“Fight me.”_ It’s a command and suddenly Obi-Wan’s blade is on and connecting with Vader’s. They dance back and forth for a while, Vader’s strokes harsh and unforgiving while Obi-Wan’s are defensive like always. He keeps up with Vader for a while, but he’s horribly out of practice. Vader’s blade cuts just under his ribs and it’s not deep, but fear drips into his soul like nothing he’s ever felt before. 

_My baby._

“Anakin, please!” He begs his mate now, their blades continuously clashing, and Obi-Wan is faltering. He’s off balance, unfocused, panicking, and Vader is brutal. He doesn’t hesitate because it’s his mate and finally Obi-Wan has to start fighting back. He lands a kick to Vader’s chest, sending him across the room into one of the giant fancy couches. It topples and Vader is sprawled on the ground. Obi-Wan launches across the room, leaping over the chair and bringing his blade down on Vader who just narrowly blocks it. 

“Don’t call me that! I’m not that stupid boy who followed you around like a lost loth cat anymore! I’m the Emperor of this entire galaxy!” Vader is bragging, boasting to fill the void that is missing Obi-Wan and his love. Obi-Wan is suddenly thrown across the room, Vader using the force to punch him in the gut. Pain lances through his entire body and he pauses, trying to assess if the baby has been harmed. 

“I’d like to think you’re still the man I love,” he whispers, his hand gingerly touching his stomach. Vader pulls himself to his feet and Obi-Wan drops his hand, looking up at Vader when his airway restricts. 

Obi-Wan goes to gasp, but the air wont move. He feels a struggle within him, his very veins closing with the need for air. He feels the spark within him struggle for just a moment and knows that he and the baby are dying. 

_Anakin is killing him and their child._

“Anakin-“ He gasps, “Anakin, I’m-“ Vader tilts his head, the red of his eyes seeming to expand into eternity and Obi-Wan feels tears trickle out of his eyes.

_“Pregnant,”_ he spits out and Vader drops him and Obi-Wan twists, avoiding his stomach. Vader crouches over him, placing the palm of his hand over Obi-Wan’s stomach. He gasps, falling back on the ground and Obi-Wan hears something he never thought he’d hear again. 

Vader is _sobbing._

Obi-Wan struggles up into a half-sitting position, looking over at Vader who meets his look. Tears flood Obi-Wan’s own when he sees the beautiful blue of Anakin Skywalker’s eyes that he has always loved so much. 

_“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m,”_ he repeats over and over and Obi-Wan just stares. He just stares at the creature who looks more like Anakin Skywalker than anything he’s seen in years. He doesn’t know what to say or if things will change or if he can even begin to forgive what has happened but this feels different. 

“What have I done? Obi, what have I _done_ to us?” He asks and again Obi-Wan can’t answer. He can’t begin to think about this, but the feeling in his heart, he recognizes it. It is sick and he may be stupid for it, but the feeling remains.

He feels _hope._

_A new hope._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only two more chapters to go! please please please tell me what you're thinking about the way this is ending up, i hope you're all enjoying it as much as i am. thank you for reading!


	21. put my name at the top of your list

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> two years later...

Obi-Wan watches Vader’s chest rise and fall as they sleep bathed in the warm Nabooian sunrise. Golden rays grace the previously golden skin of his love. It startles him to realize just how pale Vader- _no Anakin_ -had become. He reaches out, brushing a finger along the man’s sharp cheek bones. They’ve been together on Naboo for two years now, the Empire slowly coming undone around them as the Rebellion takes swift hits. There hasn’t even been a new Emperor instated, the Imperials claiming Vader is running things from behind the scenes. 

He knows it isn’t true, Vader is in his bed, making him feel loved and precious. He frowns as he gazes down at where his stomach is flat. There had been a life in there, one that Anakin murdered… The baby hadn’t survived the strangling Vader put him through and Obi-Wan… Part of Obi-Wan will always hate the monster his mate became, the man he may still feel he is deep down. Obi-Wan is no fool, he knows that the man asleep next to him is still far from healed and returned to the man he married. 

Anakin Skywalker may well and truly be dead, but so may Vader. The man next to him is a product of the two and Obi-Wan… Obi-Wan can’t help but love him too. It’s been two years since his miscarriage, since Vader abandoned the Empire and took the time to heal them on Varykino. They had a funeral for the little girl; _Ahsoka,_ his heart sings, and Obi-Wan feels a stray tear fall even now. For both his dearest friend and his daughter who never got to breathe.

Satine and Padmé think he’s a fool, but they’re coming today to meet with Vader and evaluate him. Obi-Wan has been back to see his babies seven times, leaving Vader on Varykino and each time the man stays and waits for him to return. And Obi-Wan returns every time. Vader stirs next to him and Obi-Wan shakes his head a bit. He needs to find something to call the man that isn’t Anakin or Vader. The man in front of him isn’t either. 

Obi-Wan knows he’s thinking too hard, knows he will wake the man beside him, so he stands, grabbing the lacy robe from its hook and going out onto the veranda. He knows he’s become domesticated, but the feeling of not running is incredible. It’s like his life has started again after six long years of the Empire, of pain and death. The Rebellion is making it’s way through what remains of the Empire and he’s happy.

For the first time in so long, he is so fucking happy. His mate is here and they are healing. His children are alive and happy and will come of age in a galaxy where democracy reigns. They’ll meet their father. 

If Padmé and Satine agree with him of course. He could force the issue, but he won’t. Satine and Padmé are raising the twins out on Tatooine and he must honor their opinion as such. He doesn’t want a custody battle. 

And he will not lose their friendship or their council over Anakin Skywalker. The man had abandoned him and the two women never did. In Ahsoka’s name and in his own loyalty, he will never do such a thing. Anakin has mentioned a few times now that he wants to see them, to see his children, but Obi-Wan has denied. Two years. If after two years he felt it was safe he’d take him. 

This was the deal he made with Anakin at the beginning of their stay on Varykino. Now that the time is up he believes that Anakin can meet Luke and Leia. Varykino is a beautiful place and they’ve healed. Meditating is a way they’ve reconnected and… After a year and a half Obi-Wan slept with him again. Willingly. He thought he may never be able to enjoy it again after his rough heat and his miscarriage, but he had. A lot, actually. He sighs happily, the sun rising in the sky, glistening over the lake, reflecting shadows on the walls of the veranda. 

He hears Anakin wake up, moving around their shared room. It isn’t the room they used to share. Obi-Wan couldn’t bear to try to be the old Anakin and Obi-Wan. Those two naive young men could never exist again. Their bliss and peace could never exist again. 

But they could meet somewhere in the middle. 

They don’t have to be their past in either era. They could just… _Be._ They have two beautiful children that are a product of their love and he knows it’ll never be perfect. Perhaps he will never fully heal or forgive the man next to him, but if he doesn’t try… If he doesn’t try then he’ll never know if the man he loves was ever worth salvaging. He wishes things were perfect, but he knows they never will be.

Deep down he knows they never were. 

“Good morning,” Anakin mumbles, placing a sloppy kiss on Obi-Wan’s cheek as he snakes his arms around his waist. Obi-Wan hums happily, leaning into the embrace. The sunlight is so warm on his skin it feels like a rebirth, something he and Anakin desperately need. Some nights he awakens abruptly, feeling phantom fingers tightening his trachea. He reaches up to rub his throat absentmindedly and tenses when Anakin’s hand trails up his sternum, grasping his own. Anakin removes his hand when he feels the tension, rubbing his hands up and down Obi-Wan’s waist. 

“I’m sorry,” he says and it sounds so sincere. Obi-Wan spins, taking Anakin’s face between his hands and leans up, grazing his lips against the alpha's lightly. 

“We knew this would be difficult, I’m working through it all as best I can,” he apologizes because he can’t argue with Anakin again about him not moving forward. Anakin was patient the first year, sleeping in separate rooms and not touching. For the first two months neither of them said much at all to each other, Anakin brooding and disappearing for hours at a time out into the Naboo wilderness.

Later, when they were on speaking terms, he had told Obi-Wan he just roamed and thought about his actions during those times. Obi-Wan doesn’t know if he believes it, but he lets it slide. Trust has to start somewhere. 

Finally, Anakin nods, placing his nose in Obi-Wan hair and breathing in his sweet scent. They’ve spent many heats together, but Obi-Wan remains childless, something that breeds unwanted insecurity inside of him. He doesn’t need another child, has his heaven on Tatooine, but he knows that it’s his instincts taking over. In his gut, something feels wrong, he just can’t pinpoint what it is. 

“What’s on the agenda for today?” Anakin asks, and Obi-Wan sighs, disappointed he didn’t remember. He thought he would since it’s the determining factor in him getting to meet their children sooner rather than later. Anakin notices his frown and leans down, licking a stripe up his cheek to nibble on his ear. 

“Kidding,” he chuckles, “I would never forget my chance to see and apologize to the ladies.” Obi-Wan rolls his eyes and shoves him off, moving to the kitchen where he pours two cups of cold tea from the fridge. He used to despise such a notion as cold tea, but the Nabooians brew a fine cup warm or cold. It was a welcome adjustment in their time here. 

He hands Anakin the tea and dances from the room, humming as he goes. 

“Where are you off to?” Anakin questions and Obi-Wan laughs running out to where their speeder is without spilling a drop of tea. He downs the cup, tossing it back to Anakin who catches it in one hand. 

“I’ll be back in time for the ladies to show… Look nice for me, Darling,” he laughs, blowing a kiss and taking off. Anakin laughs in his wake before retreating inside.

 

 

 

Two hours later Obi-Wan walks in with flowers and pastries from a local market about forty standard minutes away. Anakin sits alone on a sofa, his shirt flowing in the slight breeze from the veranda. His pants are light linen and he looks so much like the Anakin he knew before the Clone Wars that he nearly drops the pastries. 

A knock distracts him and he tugs on his bond with Anakin, letting him know that he wants him to answer the door. Anakin stands and goes as Obi-Wan pulls out a vase for the flowers he bought. He smiles in excitement and rushes to meet all of them at the door.

Satine barges past Anakin, nearly shoving him away to wrap her arms around Obi-Wan and assess his state of being. She’ll never trust Anakin with him or the twins again, but she will respect Obi-Wan's call. Of that he is sure. Obi-Wan has been to Tatooine plenty to see them and the twins, but this is the first time they are interacting with Anakin since it happened. _“It”_ being Order 66 in reality. 

Obi-Wan watches as Padmé approaches Anakin slowly, so slowly it seems almost cinematic, something that would be in a holodrama. She goes until she stands toe to toe with the man who used to be her best friend and closest confidant. 

Years of unsaid pain and betrayal linger between them now, too much to heal in one meeting. 

Her hand comes up to brush her hand across his cheek and cup it, searching his eyes for something Obi-Wan can’t be sure of. He feels Anakin’s anguish across their bond and watches with rapt attention as Anakin moves his hands to her shoulder and closes his eyes. The man leans down to press a single kiss on her forehead where she was scarred during the showdown with the Emperor. Her eyes widen. 

It feels oddly intimate, a reconnection he has no business seeing, but Satine is watching too, concerned for her best friends and wary of the monster who may still lurk behind the crystal blues of Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan understands, knows that once a Mandalorian’s trust is gone it is hardly ever gained back and she had never loved Anakin. She had tolerated him because people she loved cared for the boy.

In her opinion, Anakin’s atrocities have blackened his soul to a place not worthy of being within a galaxy’s length of Obi-Wan’s light. 

But he loves him. Obi-Wan loves him. And Satine mumbles an old Mandalorian legend to him in warning under her breath. Be careful not to become the sun and the moon, destined to love each other for eternity but be separated by their true natures. _Darkness and the light…_ It startles him, leaving him wondering. Is she right? Will this fail?

Padmé wraps her arms around Anakin’s neck and pulls him down into her, laughing as she kisses his hair. _“It’s you,”_ she cries, tears slipping down her face, “it’s you, it’s you, it’s you…” Obi-Wan feels his eyes well with tears, basking in the light of forgiveness around them. This is huge, this acceptance means that Anakin will get to meet Luke and Leia. His eyes meet his mate’s and he lets the tears fall, enraptured by the way they stare at each other. He feels Satine’s gaze, her fear, her anxiety…

“Obi, go to him. I feel your torn heart… I will not be the reason you feel further heartache. If he is Anakin again in your eyes, then my blessing is a given. There was never a question.” He pauses, looking down at her. He isn’t Anakin… Obi-Wan feels the seeds of doubt wedge themselves into his heart, but falls into Anakin’s arms as he approaches. He needs him, finally has him, and almost resents his dear friend for placing these feelings in his heart.

Behind him, Satine frowns, a terrible sadness in her eyes, but she remains silent, even as she meets the bitter eyes of Anakin Skywalker. She searches for gold and finds none. It is here that she admits defeat. Anakin nods his head to her in thanks and she returns the gesture in turn, knowing in her soul that once poison leaks into the heart it is never defeated. Not completely. 

_Maybe he is different… After all, he is the Chosen One._

“Your answer, Padmé?” Anakin questions and Padmé, all hesitance gone and excitement overcoming her entire being, nods vigorously. She rushes to wrap her small frame around Anakin and Obi-Wan. 

“You have it, of course you have it. They’ll love you,” she promises and both Obi-Wan and Satine agree. The twins will love their father. 

 

 

 

Hours later, Anakin has retired for bed after lengthy goodbyes and Obi-Wan loads them into their ship to return to the twins. He and Satine stare at each other as Padmé fires up the engines. 

“The Empire?” He questions and she winces.

“It is falling, but slowly. They’re taking longer than expected to collapse,” she reports and this scares him for a second. _It is falling,_ he reassures himself, _just slowly…_ He wonders about asking Anakin to renounce his allegiance publicly, but decides to stay out of it unless explicitly asked. Satine frowns as she walks back down the ramp to wrap her slim arms around his torso. She breathes in his scent as if it is her last opportunity.

“Be careful, My Sun… It is a dangerous path you walk by light of the moon,” she whispers before kissing him on the cheek and retreating into the ship. He lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

As he wanders back to the room, he takes the long route, remembering the old rhyme Satine mentions. 

 

_Split by hours and the force itself_

_They met only once and the galaxy shook_

_With a love that ended in fire and pain_

_A betrayal is all it took_

_Take care not to become the lovers who_

_Lost and separated by natures tethered_

_Destroy the galaxy in their effort_

_To conjoin the Dark and the Light forever_

 

It speaks of a legend Obi-Wan only vaguely knows of Gods who couldn’t make their relationship work and his heart once again aches with doubt he cannot dwell on. it is too late, he’s already promised and gotten the approval of his ladies. 

But is she right?

No.

She can’t be. She can’t be because if she is then he is destroying the galaxy with one action. He breathes, walking into their room and settling into his bed next to his moon. 

She is _wrong._

He shoves the doubt away and lays his head down. 

His choice has been made. 

 

 

 

 

And across the stars Satine stares out into the depths of space as they head home to their angels, deep in thought. 

_“What happens if they collide? The sun and the moon?” She asks her mother, a young child at the time and her mother frowns. It is an ugly thing that ruins her pretty features and scares Satine._

_She never answers, just leaves it at that frown and moves away. Satine learns later that the destruction that could occur may possibly decimate an entire system… An entire galaxy._

So now she sits and she broods, because legends always have just a bit of truth in them. 

A truth she’s found. 

_Please let me be wrong._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT! Who is right? Who is wrong? Will anything happen to the twins or Obi-Wan or the ladies?? I can't answer these yet, but I hope you're as pumped as I am to finally see how all of this wraps up! as always, please let me know what you think of the story... As we reach the end your opinions matter more and more to me. I've been updating this for more than a year and I'm proud of it. Thank you !!!
> 
> S


	22. everything feels better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the end...

There’s scuffling around as Grand Moff Piett stands amongst the largest star fleet ever created, being readied to take off into space. He looks over his checklist slowly, even as he feels a nervous, impatient Admiral next to him. After rising in the ranks by his own hard work and hard won recognition from his superiors, Piett has a respect which this runt will never understand. 

The _wretch._ No rich boy from a rich planet will ever serve under him well, of this he is sure. It is a lesson his superior taught him a very long time ago.

“Sir,” the Admiral pleads finally, scared but annoyed by having been forced to wait. Piett raises a finger ordering him to be patient and clicks his tongue in reprimand, flipping to the last page of data. The younger man appears as though he may defecate himself if Piett stalls any longer so he chuckles, passing the clipboard off to the technician who has been patiently waiting for him to finish. 

As he should. He’s in charge after all. 

“All good, get her up in the air and let’s decimate this rebellion once and for all,” he smiles as he says it, knowing he has locations for most of the bases they’ve created. They will bomb them all. Death star or no death star. 

Finally he turns to the Admiral.

“Is the announcement about Vader’s death?” He practically vomits the words out and Piett raises an amused eyebrow. He chuckles, the Admiral losing it beside him, his eyes as wide as the moons orbiting this planet. 

“That’s what you were waiting to ask… Hm. Demoted,” he says with his best straight face before spinning on his heel, leaving the boy nearly in tears in front of all the people he leads.

 

 

 

 

Across the stars, Satine stands in front of Mon Mothma with her hands on her hips and Padmé next to her. They have returned to take their place in high command that was always promised and end the Empire once and for all. 

“You know better then anyone what disrupting the careful of balance can do to troops. You are new, it would be better for people to become acquainted with you before you begin to lead anyone,” Mon states and Satine straightens as does Padmé beside her. They level a woman who is both younger and less experienced than them with a cutting look, causing the woman to straighten.

“I am Satine Kryze, former Duchess of the military strength that is Mandalore and this is Padmé Naberrie Amidala, former Queen and Senator of Naboo who knows more about peace and diplomacy than any one of you could even comprehend. You made us symbols, martyrs, and if your troops can’t take orders from an icon then your problem is much deeper than a balance of leadership,” she hisses and the other generals nod, siding against Mon who just sputters. Satine glares as she rounds the table to address the other generals. 

“We attack the remainder of the Empire on Corellia and Coruscant and then we take back the galaxy. Sound good?” The generals nod and Satine grins. She turns and gestures to Padmé who takes a deep breath and starts rambling about their navy and how they’ll have to lead the charge while allowing the ground troops to make their way to the surface. 

Satine moves away, allowing Mon to approach her. 

“I think this is a mistake,” she confides and Satine wants to scoff, but reigns it in, knowing the woman is being sincere. 

“It isn’t,” she says and tries to convey all the persuasion of an experienced leader.

“We don’t know where Vader is, Satine! How can you be so foolish as to believe that we are almost to the victory line when Vader is still out there somewhere. Only an idiot would believe the beast dead,” she finally hisses, appalled at Satine’s lack of consideration for all of the facts.

Satine finally understands the woman’s hesitation and nearly blurts the truth out, but holds her tongue for Obi-Wan’s sake. She wonders when she started putting him and the twins before the rest of the known galaxy, but shoves it away. It isn’t something she can focus on right now. 

“Mon, trust me when I say I have considered every aspect of this and this is our best chance,” she pleads with the woman who finally takes a deep breath and glares up at the Mandalorian with doubt in her gaze. 

“You’ve usurped my rebellion here today, Satine. I only pray you don’t lead the cattle to the slaughter.” With that Mon nods to her and takes her leave from the room, sweeping out elegantly. Satine recognizes the old Chandrilian warning. She sighs and turns to watch Padmé give them their instructions. 

This _will_ work. 

 

 

 

 

Obi-Wan watches Vader play with Luke and Leia with a fond smile. It has been a couple of weeks since they returned home and Vader had fallen to his knees in pain, tears spilling onto his cheeks. 

_“Are you okay, Sir?” Luke asks, approaching his father slowly. Obi-Wan internally winces, considers telling him to stay back, but he had made his choice and now Anakin was with the children. There could be no hesitation now._

_“Who are you?” Leia demands from across the room, looking at the man on his knees and then up at Obi-Wan with eyes holding a million questions. “How do you know Daddy?” Anakin’s head shoots up and his eyes are a crystal blue as he looks at his daughter whose spirit is full of fire bright as the suns above them on Tatooine._

_“I’m your Papa… Leia, Luke… I’m your father,” he gasps and Luke and Leia look first to each other, then to Obi-Wan, then back at Anakin before slowly approaching._

He watches them now and it feels right, more right than anything has felt in a long time. He watches Anakin take his leave from the children and walk over to Obi-Wan, wrapping his arms around him again. Obi-Wan leans back into him and breathes. His soul feels as though it’s constricting, both joy and panic seizing him whole. He forces himself to smile. 

“Calm down, Obi… I can feel how tense you are,” he chides and Obi-Wan forces a chuckle past his lips. He’s been feeling this way for weeks and he doesn’t know how to kick it and force it away. He’s released it into the force only for it to come back with a vengeance. 

Something is wrong, but he can’t pinpoint what exactly it is. He checks around Anakin and he feels okay, great even. Ecstatically happy and content and Obi-Wan is so happy, he should just be happy, but he can’t and he can’t figure out why. 

“Papa! Daddy! Can we go to the market for lunch?” It’s Luke who asks and Obi-Wan smiles, about to answer, but Anakin rushes forward to lift their son and toss him into the air. Again, Obi-Wan feels as though he’s being choked and wants to scream to put him down. He just smiles though. 

“Sure, Kiddo,” Anakin agrees and Obi-wan laughs genuinely. This is his family and he loves them completely, but maybe he needs to converse with Yoda and figure out what’s wrong. He’s been overdue for a visit for a long while now between the craziness of the last couple of years. The twins are six now and he could leave them with Anakin…

He’ll give it a couple of months first, though. No need to rush leaving Anakin alone with them. He knows it’ll happen eventually, but he’s not in a rush for it to and he believes the children aren’t in a rush either. They’ve been accepting, but Anakin is still a stranger to them in many ways and they know that. His children are so smart. 

Luke and Leia turn to Obi-Wan for his answer and he smiles and nods, ignoring how put out Anakin looks for a moment. He smiles reassuringly at his mate and beckons them all to the garage. They’ll settle and get used to being a family soon, he just has to be patient. 

 

 

 

 

Two stormtroopers stand near the stage where Grand Moff Piett is making his grand announcement soon. They have been half-assing their job for a while, just lounging as preparations are made for the press conference here on Corellia, where the Empire has been secretly running from since Vader went awol. 

“You think they’ll finally tell us Vader’s dead?” Arian tosses a stray stone at the other trooper who just huffs from where he stands just meters away. Arian sits, contemplating taking his helmet off, but knowing Piett will not suffer a breach in protocol set by the Emperor Vader himself ages ago. 

Back when he was just a Lord. 

“It’s all a load of kark,” the other trooper snarls through his helmet, “there’s no way Vader’s dead.” Arian laughs, leaning back and viewing his new friend’s stillness with bitterness. There is no Empire without an Emperor, so why are they here? Why do they waste their days guarding a Grand Moff who is barely holding the barest strings together to maintain order? 

“If he’s not dead then where the fuck is he? We’re not here to be bodyguards, we’re soldiers!” Arian huffs as the other trooper scoffs next to him. 

“I know you’re young, Kid, but Vader is the last Jedi. He can’t die, there’s no one left to kill him. Show some respect for that at least” he says and Arian’s eyes widen. He doesn’t know this man next to him, doesn’t know a thing about him and yet he feels his wiseness, his age through the suit. He goes to ask when a Captain walks by and Arian shoots up to attention. Unlike normal, the Captain doesn’t spare them a glance to reprimand them, just runs up the stairs and over to the Grand Moff. 

Knowing he’s running out of time he takes his chance to ask the other trooper his name,“Who are you?” _What have you seen? Do you know the Emperor? It sounds like maybe you do._

The man looks at him and although he can’t see his face, he knows the man is assessing him harshly. Finally, he chuckles. 

“The last of a dying breed the same as the Emperor,” he starts and pauses, looking at the stage where the cameras are readying for the statement, “Back in the day though… They called me Waxer.” Arian blinks as the Grand Moff’s voice overtakes the hangar, flooding everyone with anticipation. He turns away from Waxer to pay attention to Piett’s announcement. 

“Citizens of the Galactic Empire…” 

 

 

 

 

Padmé watches the monitors in front of her, chewing on her nails as Mon and Rieekan chat in the corner idly. She doesn’t know how they’re so calm when the galaxy is at a stand still waiting to see which way destiny will fall. Her breaths are shaky, her knees are too, and she is so scared in this moment that she can feel her own heart thumping in her chest. 

Satine insisted on leading the charge out with Gold Squadron, a trained warrior like herself needing to be at the heart of it all. Padmé smiles fondly as the holo crackles to life in the corner, some random Grand Moff coming to stand front and center in front of the cameras. Her gaze follows it, even as the screen in front of her starts to blip. She can’t hear it, her attention on the man whose face is grave as he waits for a signal to speak. As he waits for the entire galaxy to be able to hear. 

“Citizens of the Galactic Empire, today is a day for celebration. A day long awaited. For today is the day we regain our grip on the galaxy…” His voice rambles on to finish his thought, but the base scrambles. The people left behind are in a frenzy, Padmé turning to look at the monitor for Satine's crew. Of Satine’s deployed squadron, only three fighters remain on the screen. Her breath catches and the com on her wrist chimes. She brings it up to her face, Satine’s grief clear as day when her image pulls up. 

_“Padmé,”_ she hiccups, _“Padmé, you have to get out of there! It was an ambush! Your not safe there!”_ Padmé watches silently as Satine frantically shoots, her face twisted and she can feel it in the air. The impending doom falling upon them all as she stands here watching monitors. Tears slip down her cheeks as Satine grunts.

“What’s happening? Satine, are you-“ 

_“That was my wing, Padmé… Be strong, you have to salvage this. Tell Obi-Wan,”_ she screams as shrapnel from a colliding TIE fighter stabs into her thigh. They only have moments before she dies and for a moment, Padmé hopes for a sweet goodbye. She can see in Satine’s eyes that she would love to give her that, but they are politicians. And above shallow politics, they are warriors who have always served the first line of defense for their people. Nothing about their goodbyes was ever meant to be _soft._

_“Tell Obi-Wan,”_ she breathes before shouting, _“Escape! Get out of there! They’re coming-“_ The blue holo in front of Padmé’s eyes disappears and she clutches the contraption on her wrist, her heart howling in her chest with grief. _What? What did you need me to tell Obi-Wan?_

Suddenly a hand grips her wrist where Satine’s face used to be and for a moment, Padmé wants to lash out at her savior, but the hand is Mon’s. Her old friend stares back at her, her features hard and she pulls Padmé from the room.

“A fleet is approaching the system. I’m throwing us into escape pods… If you happen to survive, the rest of the rebellion is meeting on Dagobah,” Mon orders and Padmé… Padmé _knows_ who’s on Dagobah. She nods as Mon stalks down hallway after hallway. Suddenly, Padmé gets it, understands why this woman is the leader of the rebellion. Padmé couldn’t handle one instance of the losses Mon has dealt with numerous times. The woman deserves her title, has earned it by remaining composed in the face of tragedy.

Mon tosses her towards a single-passenger pod, taking the one next to her and a small, sad smile graces her features. 

“I hope to see you again, Old Friend. Maybe we can salvage this together,” she declares and it’s peace. It’s her pardon for today, her way of saying that it was a good plan and Padmé had done her best. It wasn’t her fault. 

“You too,” she breathes and Mon steps into the pod. Padmé falls into her own and presses the eject button, flying out into space randomly. She watches Mon’s pod fly in a completely different direction and heaves an ugly sob. 

They were supposed to _win! Why hadn’t they won?_

And deep inside a voice whispers to her. 

_You know…_

She knows. 

She prays to the force to get her to Dagobah.

 

 

 

 

Obi-Wan watches from his place in the Tatooinian sand as a star destroyer plagues the sky, the light disappearing as it blocks out the twin suns. The twins stall in their playing behind him and he can’t breathe. They’re _here_ , the _Empire_ is here…

“Anakin!” He spins on his heel to run to find his husband, but he’s behind him already, Obi-Wan collapsing in his arms. He sobs as Anakin stares blankly towards the sky. 

“Go in the house,” he orders his mate and Obi-Wan scoops up the twins, running in to their modest hut out in the Jundland Wastes. Sadly enough, it’s probably the most consistent home his babies have ever known. 

“Daddy, what’s happening? Where’s Papa?” Luke asks and Obi-Wan can’t answer as Leia flicks on the holo with her comm, watching as the Grand Moff addresses the public. 

_“Today is the day the rebellion dies and the Empire is reborn! Long live the First Galactic Empire!”_ The crowd choruses his statement and he feels himself wobble on weak legs. Anakin is here… The Empire died… Satine and Padmé had been so sure the war was almost over. 

“Daddy?” Luke asks again and Obi-Wan picks him up, staring at the screen in horror as the Grand Moff orders the fleet to head to the outer rim and eliminate the huts, the other half of their rivals for galactic control. He brings Luke’s hand to his mouth, kissing it. Leia comes over, tugging on his pant leg and he kneels to the floor, setting Luke on his own two feet and gathering them both into his arms, trying desperately not to cry in front of his children. He has to be strong, has to not fall apart until he’s alone with Anakin. 

There is little real light in the room, the destroyer still blocking out the sun, and Obi-Wan feels as though it has eclipsed not just the planet, but his life. The familiar panic bubbles in his throat and he feels the urge to scream. 

Anakin watches the TIE fighters descend on the planet like a hoard of wasps from Ryloth and walks forward as a shuttle lands about fifty standard feet away. Out of the dust emerges a man he’d recognize anywhere. Him and his brothers.

“Your highness,” Cody greets, bowing to Anakin who smiles at the man. Anakin looks at the shuttle and then up at the newly built, highly beautiful, Executor. He smiles at it’s brilliance, it’s sheer size and immediate impact. 

“Cody… Go in the hut and have the twins escorted on board. I will deal with Obi-Wan myself,” he orders and Cody nods, gesturing for his men to follow him out of the ship. They fall into line and Anakin sighs in relief at the order of everything.

Soon enough, Obi-Wan is chasing Cody and his men out of the hut, the troopers carrying the twins over their heads. Luke and Leia scream and the sound tugs at Anakin’s heart, but he will make things right. 

“Obi-Wan,” he whispers, catching his mate in his arm. Obi-Wan wraps himself around Anakin almost immediately, needing him so much in that moment it’s unbelievable. Anakin strokes his hair, placing soft kisses on his crown. 

“Ani, they have our babies! What are we-“ Anakin hushes him, kissing him to stop his panic. It works, Obi-Wan calming almost immediately. He melts in Anakin’s hold. 

“This is the _only way_ , Obi… The rebellion is gone. The only way to fix the galaxy now is to place ourselves in charge and luckily for us, nobody believed I was dead,” he explains and Obi-Wan finds himself nodding in response. That makes sense. _Right?_

“This way you can fix all that you want to, bring the Jedi back for all I care. This way we get to be a family,” he pleads and it sounds like a plan to save themselves from impending death. Obi-Wan nods and allows Anakin to escort him on the ship. The twins fly into his arms and Obi-Wan allows himself to be placed in the bedroom area with them, holding them so closely that they may be in pain. The door clicks shut and locked, but Obi-Wan can't hear it as he tries to calm the children's screams and cries. 

Anakin takes the pilot’s seat next to Cody. 

“Welcome back, Emperor Vader,” he says, his head bowed in respect. Vader smirks, lifting the ship into the air and going to his new home. 

And if later he stands in front of the viewport and watches Tatooine burn… Well it’s all come full circle. Vader has won this time. This time, nobody will be able to stop him.

Padmé and Satine and Ahsoka are gone. Qui-Gon and Sidious and Dooku are gone. Obi-Wan is his. His twins are his. The galaxy is his. 

Flames encase the surface of Tatooine below him, adding bright orange to the sandy palate of the planet and ending the Hut’s rule. 

The twins and Obi-Wan approach, his mate the docile thing he was always meant to be and Leia clings to Vader, wanting to be pulled into his arms. He accepts his future apprentice with a smile and a kiss. 

He leans over to kiss Luke on the head and then Obi-Wan on the lips. 

_Everything is his._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... or is it??? OKAY!! PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS FIC! I'm thinking of writing a short sequel, but i wont if there's no interest, so plz plz plz let me know ! anyway, this is the end of this one for now and it means so much to me! I've been working on it for over a year and it is perhaps my favorite thing i've written. i love you all thank you for your support and love!  <3 <3 <3


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